Plot & Script: Priest
Plot & Art: Carlo Pagulayan
Inks: Jason Paz
Colors: Jeromy Cox
Letters: Willie Schubert
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: May 9th, 2023
Superman has been teleported over 14,000 light years (roughly 9.5 trillion kilometers) from Earth, with no way back home. Superman: Lost #3 continues his journey through space as he desperately tries to make it home. Wearing a uniform (given to him last issue by an alien race) that allows him to breathe in space and has a built-in Siri-style interface called Marquis, he pushes on through space, wondering how he’ll make it home when he’s a 100 lifetimes away.
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The Story
Superman: Lost #3 is the first issue of the miniseries where we really realize the deep trouble Superman’s in. He’s so far from Earth that it would take 1000 years to get back, yet Superman being his usual optimistic self, he’s full of hope, constantly calculating ways that he can make it back faster. It’s kind of been a given over the years that Superman, as powerful as he is, wasn’t necessarily the sharpest knife in the drawer. But here, we see his mind working in overdrive, speculating on concepts such as superluminal velocity and faster-than-light speeds and how to achieve them. Decked in an all-white uniform, he looks almost like an angel throughout the issue, he and his “S” symbol seeming glowing brightly in the inky darkness of space.
Marquis, the AI assistant built in to his uniform, answers his questions and instantly performs massive calculations. Marquis seems kind of creepy in some scenes, as if it has another agenda other than answering Kal-El’s questions (think HAL from “2001: A Space Odyssey”). What’s most interesting about the book is how fragile Superman is here. He’s all alone without a ship, flying through space, the uniform and gear on his back keeping him from suffocating. It’s the most precarious situation I’ve ever seen him in. All his strength, heat vision, freeze breath, etc. means nothing here, it’s all about pushing forward and surviving. It makes the book tense and gripping, something I never thought I’d say about a Superman book.
In a way, the book is like the TV series “Star Trek: Voyager”, where that crew was cast far away from Earth and had to make their way back home, encountering beautiful and horrific things on their journey. Superman encounters two alien species this issue, one beautiful and one horrific. This is another aspect of the miniseries I’m looking forward to, seeing all the alien cultures that Superman will run into on his trip home. The book ends with a massive cliffhanger that’ll have you counting the minutes until the next issue.
The Art
Carlo Pagulayan’s art on Superman: Lost #3 captures the feeling of being lost in deep space. Superman’s outfit and the device allowing him to breathe (which looks like a huge backpack) make him look like an explorer pushing through the arctic. He looks simultaneously powerful and desolate, and it adds great atmosphere (no pun intended) to the story.
Final Thoughts
Superman: Lost #3 is the most nail-biting issue of the miniseries so far, making you feel like you’re adrift in space with Kal-El. Marquis adds another level of tension to the story and the issue has a knockout cliffhanger ending.