Friday, April 18 is Superman Day—in honor of Action Comics’ first issue on April 18, 1938—and DC’s got plenty of Superman to last the next few months.
These cardstock variants showcasing the Man of Steel are themed around the live-action version in James Gunn’s movie coming July 11. Comic artists Nicola Scott, Jorge Jiménez, Jim Lee, and others lent their talents to these covers, which will release in May, June, and July as part of the “Summer of Superman” initiative.
Along with the ongoing Action Comics and the main Superman book, the “Summer” event has new series for Krypto (by Ryan North and Mike Norton) and Supergirl (by Sophie Campbell), plus the new Superman Unlimited ongoing from Dan Slott and Rafael Albuquerque. There’s also a set of corner boxes featuring the Man of Steel, a young Superboy, Supergirl, and Krypto, all from Dan Mora.
According to DC, the variants are for Supergirl #1(Scott/Kwok), Superman Unlimited #1(Lee), Action Comics #1087(Jurgens), Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1(Mora), Superman #27(Ordway), Batman #161(Jiménez), and Justice League Unlimited #9 (Quietly).
Artist Kevin Maguire also has a variant for Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41 which’ll arrive “soon.”
Meanwhile, the actual Superman comics releasing this summer are preparing for some eventful changes. The biggest is a three-part arc in the main book from Joshua Williamson and Mora, which will feature the Darkseid Legion. The evil version of the regular Legion of Super-Heroes were teased at the end of DC All-In last year, and they’ll be all over Superman #28-30. Whatever happens, it’s “leading toward the next big DCU event.”
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
