Written by Brandon Thomas
Drawn by Christian Duce
Published by DC Comics

I picked this book up due to its writer, Brandon Thomas, someone whose work I’ve been a fan of for over a decade now. This is a digital-first series, standing apart from DC’s regular ongoing Superman titles, and in it we get a stand-alone 16-page story which could be summarized as DIE HARD IN THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE. Supervillain The Key has snuck into Superman’s Antarctic bachelor pad and turned its systems against the Man of Steel (or I guess I should say the Man of Tomorrow in this case). He’s also managed to temporarily remove Superman’s powers, leaving him apparently helpless.

Or so he thought.

Armed with his wits and his thorough knowledge of all the ins and outs of his Fortress, including secret weapons that even The Key was unaware of, Superman must avoid The Key’s traps and fight his way to a direct confrontation with the villain in order to regain control of his headquarters and defeat him. Does he succeed? NO SPOILERS! But, yeah, I’m sure you can make a guess…

Brandon Thomas packs quite a bit of action and suspense into this short story. Above all, he uses it to emphasize that it’s not just his vast powers that make Superman a hero, it’s his courage, heart, and intelligence. We also get a mini-tour of the Fortress throughout this story, with several hints at the amazing wonders therein, including Superman’s alien menagerie, which includes many sentient pets, from talking cats to a winged flying shark,  that Superman can converse with in their own alien languages. And artist Christian Duce does a very fine job of illustrating the environment and action. 

This is an enjoyable tale for Superman fans of all ages. If you’ve got .99 cents to spare, I highly recommend checking this out.

SUPERMAN, MAN OF TOMORROW #18