Superman: Kal-El Returns Special #1

Comic Watch

This is a wonderful anthology, packed with feeling, tinted with nostalgia, and brimming with character. It's the perfect book for any Superman fan. I cannot recommend it strongly enough.

Fortress of Solitude

+ Fun set of stories that tie to running plots + focuses on the Supes family, not just Clark + Fantastic art though some might not like it

Geek Dad

Overall, four strong stories that each reflect something key about Superman as he returns for a new era.

Comic Book Revolution

Batman #130 is an excellent ending to both the Failsafe storyline and the “I Am A Gun” backup story that featured the origin story of Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. From beginning to end Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jimenez, Leonardo Romero, and company did so much great character work for Batman, Robin, Superman, and Failsafe. The ending leaves you looking forward to what 2023 will look like for the entire Batman franchise.

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary

The Superman Kal-El Returns Special #1 came out this week and was an entertaining anthology of stories looking at Clark's return to Earth and his touching base with some of the important people in his life.

Lyles Movie Files

Due to the wonky continuity and other titles already moving ahead past this point the stories don’t feel particularly relevant almost right away. Still, if you’re a fan of Waid or Wolfman it’s worth a read.

Nerdly

DC rarely read the room wrong with these Specials, and you know legacy and history are going to feature heavily with Mark Waid and Marv Wolfman involved. They didn’t disappoint either, with their two stories my favourite ones. I’ve been reading Superman comics for a long time now, and it’s nice every now and then to have a little reminder of Just how special Clark is as a character. Special to the fellow denizens of the DC Universe of course but, most importantly, special to us readers. Big Blue is back. Here to stay? Who knows? I guess we’ll have to pick up the monthlies to see.

Superman Homepage

Story 1: I found this to be one of the most fun stories I've read in a long time. Waid's writing harkens back to his past DC and Marvel work, excluding his X-Men, which was horrible. Yet, the remainder of his comics have been entertaining for me, and so is this one. Art 1: It seems like Clayton Henry could not decide on a consistent style, even on the same page at times. This brings down the quality of the art considerably.

ComicBook.com

Mark Waid and Clayton Henry's Batman/Superman story is a standout, as is Marv Wolfman's – and truly, those two stories alone make this issue very worthwhile. But overall, it's a nice reminder of who Superman is and that his stories are, at their heart, as much about the people around him as they are about Big Blue himself.

AIPT

This "Special" isn't anything to write home about, but it's not a total waste either, whether you're a die-hard fan or a new reader looking for some undemanding Superman stories.