Freely speaking, the currently in progress “Superman Reborn” crossover has been nothing short of breathtaking. After recently learning that the fake Clark Kent was, in fact, Mr. Mxyzptlk all along, we eventually had to come to grips with the knowledge that several other Rebirth mysteries are to be unraveled before the month concludes. As it turns out, the penultimate chapter offered in Superman #19 raised even more questions before the can’t miss finale.
Ever since the New 52 Superman bit the dust last spring and his pre-Flashpoint counterpart stepped up to take his place, many readers have half-expected the former to return at some point. It’s no secret that death has become a thing of impermanence in the comic book medium, but as of late, they tend to get overturned faster than ever before (we’re looking at you, Damian Wayne).
Interestingly enough, great emphasis is placed on how pre-Flashpoint Superman and Lois Lane give off a blue energy in this week’s installment, with it soon being established that the now deceased New 52 versions were of a red variety. Odd as it seems, Jon Kent, the current Superboy, comes across some red balls of energy before they manifest as the unforgotten New 52 iterations of the characters in the cliffhanger. As to what this may fully entail, well, your guess is as good as ours and it’s made the week leading up to the finale seem like an eternity.
Longtime fans should realize this is a callback to the Superman Red and Blue storyline from roughly twenty years ago, so we’re wondering how this homage will be explored. The already revealed cover for Action Comics #976 (seen below) teases two Men of Steel side by side, so we’ll just have to wait and see if that’s just a teaser or if Mxy is about to get tag teamed. But at least one thing is for certain: Big Blue is getting a new costume when this is over. That’s pretty cool, right?
Superman #19 is now available in comic shops. For more, be sure to check out our review.
