Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira
Colors by: Alejandro Sanchez
Letters by: Ariana Maher
Cover art by: Dan Mora (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: January 28, 2026
First Impressions
This issue is a tense, character-driven examination of identity and sacrifice that doesn't let either the robots or the readers off the hook easily. The opening sequence with the Superman robots in the Fortress asking hard questions about responsibility lands with genuine weight because it forces you to think about what makes Superman actually Superman. The back half transforms into an urgency-packed rescue mission that showcases the Superman robot's unwavering commitment to his core programming, even when everyone else is tempted to cut corners for the mission's sake.
Recap
Superman #33 established that the K.O. tournament is in full swing to determine a champion powerful enough to challenge Darkseid and save reality. Lex Luthor faced off against a demon (Etrigan in human form) in round three, using his knowledge of hellish magic and runes carved into his skin to win through strategy rather than strength. Back at the Fortress of Solitude, Superman's allies uploaded a massive Kryptonian archive into a robotic clone of Superman to send to the Time Trapper, which would only hold for two hours. The issue ended with Superboy Prime warning that the Legion was being erased from existence, and Time Trapper preparing for a final confrontation.
Plot Analysis (SPOILERS)
The issue opens with Superman and Kelex discussing a concerning new creation: Superman robots that have his memories and near-identical abilities but lack his sense of self-sacrifice. Superman decides to deactivate them due to the risk of corruption, though he believes they'll eventually become heroes. In the present, Prime and Lois Lane use one of these robots as a mobile hard drive containing Darkseid information, flying it to the Justice League Watchtower while Prime pursues the tournament and a Superman robot helps rescue civilians who turn out to be the Royal Flush Gang, demonstrating that even artificial Supermen default to saving lives. The story then shifts to the Fortress of Solitude, where corrupted Legion members have infiltrated and destroyed Kelex, with Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy interrogating the Superman robot to extract the information inside it.
In the Watchtower, Robot Superman, Lois, and Superboy Prime are surprised to find everyone gone, except for a near-death Time Trapper. Time Trapper desperately tries to warn Lois that Booster Gold was actually Darkseid in disguise. When she arrives with the Superman robot carrying critical intelligence, Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy arrive and capture the heroes, torturing both the robot and Lois for answers. The robot refuses to break under interrogation, but when Saturn Girl messes with Lois, Superboy-Prime steps in after his search for the tournament and prepares to unleash his full power after admitting he's been holding back his abilities out of fear of losing control again.
Writing
Joshua Williamson opens with a strong philosophical premise that immediately sets expectations for moral complexity. The opening sequence about the Superman robots asking whether they feel responsibility is genuinely sharp dialogue that respects the reader's intelligence. However, the issue suffers from pacing that splits in multiple directions without clear urgency. The Fortress torture sequence becomes the emotional core, but it's undercut by the fact that you already know Booster was Darkseid from the previous cross-book setup. The dialogue between the robot and Prime lands well; Prime's "I'm not scared" line followed by the robot's gentle "I am not judging you" moment works because it subverts Prime's aggressive posturing. The structure also has a problem: the tournament setup with Superman versus Lex gets introduced and then abandoned, making you wonder if an entire sequence got cut. Williamson is juggling too many characters and plot threads in a single issue, and something had to give.
Art
Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira deliver solid work that never embarrasses itself but rarely excels. The opening Fortress sequence has some nice design work with the deactivation scene, and the royal flush rescue sequence is readable with decent panel flow. Alejandro Sánchez's colors lean into cool tones during the Watchtower infiltration, which effectively communicates danger. Where the art falls short is in the torture sequence at the end, which should be visually brutal and claustrophobic but instead reads as standard superhero action. The Saturn Girl panels lack the menace they need; her expressions aren't sinister enough to justify the threat level. Composition-wise, the page where Lois delivers the robot to Time Trapper is competent but uninspired. You're not getting the high-stakes visual drama that a betrayal of this magnitude deserves.
Character Development
The Superman robot is the real character study here. It's programmed to do what Superman would do, and that programming is treated not as a limitation but as a moral ideal. When civilians need help, the robot helps them. When tortured, it refuses to break. That's consistent and thematically resonant. Prime's arc in this issue moves him from dismissing the robot as a "tool" to admitting his own fear and reluctance to help, which is genuine character growth, though it arrives a bit quickly. Saturn Girl comes across as ideologically corrupted by Darkseid, and her interest in Lois is unsettling in the right way, but she doesn't feel like a full character, more like a plot instrument. Lois herself has agency and actual stakes (she can be mentally violated), but her role shrinks as the issue progresses, which is a waste of the emotional investment she's built.
Originality & Concept Execution
The concept of Superman robots that inherit his morality but lack his lived experience is fresh and raises genuine ethical questions. Using one as a mobile drive for critical information is a clever practical escalation. However, the execution gets muddled because the issue tries to be three things at once: a character study of artificial life, a rescue sequence showing moral compromise, and a big-stakes torture scene with corrupted heroes. The King Omega tournament that's supposed to be the event's centerpiece gets sidelined completely. The promise of Superman fighting Lex Luthor on the cover and on a single page in the middle is abandoned, which breaks the thread that tied the previous issue together. The core idea of "what happens when your creation outlives its programming" is solid, but the issue never commits to exploring it fully.
Positives
The Superman robot's unwavering commitment to saving lives and refusing to break under torture carries the emotional weight of the entire issue. When it tells Prime that it has access to Superman's memories, including his disappointment in Prime, the script delivers a gut punch that works because the robot's tone is gentle but firm. Lois Lane's presence as the emotional center of the Watchtower sequence gives the torture feel personal rather than just plot mechanics. The opening Fortress sequence with Kelex raising legitimate concerns about robot corruption is thematically appropriate and shows Williamson thinking about the consequences of his premise. Sánchez's color work in the Watchtower infiltration does effective mood-setting, and Barrows and Ferreira manage to keep action sequences readable even when the stakes get confusing.
Negatives
The tournament setup is introduced and promptly forgotten, creating a structural imbalance that undermines the entire issue's urgency. You're told Superman is fighting Lex in the final four, but then you never see it happen, which is a massive tonal whiplash. Saturn Girl's menace doesn't read clearly enough from the art, making her threats feel hollow. The torture sequence becomes repetitive fast, with the same beat of "villain hits robot, robot refuses to crack" happening three times without escalation. The Booster Gold reveal that he's Darkseid in disguise arrives with no punch because readers already knew it from the cross-book setup, so Time Trapper's despair doesn't land as new information. Most damaging, the issue ends on a cliffhanger with Prime about to go "Prime Time," but there's no earned buildup to that moment. Prime admits he's scared and holding back, but he's been holding back for an entire arc already. The sudden decision to unleash feels convenient rather than inevitable.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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The Scorecard
Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): [2.5/4]
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): [2/4]
Value (Originality & Entertainment): [1/2]
Final Verdict
Superman #34 has the pieces of a solid comic scattered across its pages, but they don't form a coherent picture. The Superman robot is a genuinely fascinating character with real moral weight, and the writing knows it. What it doesn't know is how to balance that character against a tournament event, a crossover tie-in, and a conspiracy plot all happening at once. The art is clean and readable but uninspired when the issue demands visual punch. Most frustrating is the promised Superman versus Lex matchup getting abandoned entirely; if you're building toward that confrontation, you don't just skip over it.
5.5/10
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