I’m going to say up front that I have no answers for the question posed in this piece, only pure speculation. But a listing in the DC Comics solicits perked my interest, given the whole “Summer of Superman” initiative being pushed by the publisher: the “Superman Superstars” program running in Action Comics is done as of Action Comics #1086… So what’s next for the Man of Steel?
Here’s the backstory, in case you aren’t steeped in DC Comics branding experiments. Starting with Action Comics #1061, DC began an initiative titled “Superman Superstars,” which told out-of-current-continuity stories of Superman from all-star teams. Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval kicked things off with a three-part story about Bizarro. That was followed by a non-“Superman Superstars” arc tying into the “House of Brainiac” crossover, then picked up again in Action Comics #1067 with a story by Gail Simone and Eddy Barrows (and a back-up by Rainbow Rowell and Cian Tormey).
That was followed by a 12-part story by Mark Waid which was not branded “Superman Superstars.” John Ridley and Inaki Miranda are in the midst of a three-part “Superman Superstars” story that followed Waid’s “Phantoms” arc. And then the purpose of writing this lil ol’ blog post to begin with, G. Willow Wilson and Gavin Guidry are taking over with Action Comics #1085, which, per solicit info, “Superman Superstars concludes with an unforgettable two-part story.”
While this isn’t too much of a surprise — DC did plug that the initiative would run throughout 2024 when it was initially announced during New York Comic Con in 2023 — it is intriguing to wonder what comes after. Specifically, what does DC Comics have planned for the likely June, 2025 debuting Action Comics #1087?
Given the very loose pattern the book has followed already, it’s entirely possible we could be in store for “just” another arc of the title. Maybe Joshua Williamson will take over writing both Action Comics and Superman again like he did for “House of Brainiac,” for another summer crossover. Or perhaps we’ll get another long-form, weekly story from Waid, who seems to be physically incapable of writing less than 35 comic books a month.
Or perhaps, since this is the month before Superman debuts in theaters on July 11, 2025, we could get something a little more surprising? There have certainly been rumors than James Gunn would be writing a Superman comic, though the writer/director denied that on Threads… Sort of. Specifically he denied writing an ongoing Superman comic book with art by Jim Lee, which leaves a little wiggle room for other possibilities (a one-shot? a back-up story? a variant cover?).
Heck, maybe it’s even “Superman Superstars 2: Electric Blue Superman Boogaloo.” But chances are with the “Summer of Superman” kicking off in April, and a new movie close at hand, the original Superman comic book has something big planned. Whatever it is? We’ll know in the next few months.
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