Adventures of Superman Book of El #10 — Scott Godlewski Returns Superwoman to the Fray
Kara Zor-El has been fighting alone for millennia, but the tides of war are shifting in the final stretch of Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s saga. With Nightwing, Black Racer, and a reborn Brainiac entering the fray, can Superwoman find the will to stand beside Kal-El again? Scott Godlewski’s art captures the weight of ages in every panel.
There is a specific kind of exhaustion that settles into the bones when you’ve been the last one standing for thousands of years. It’s a heaviness that defines Kara Zor-El’s journey in Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s run, and it’s the emotional anchor holding this final arc together. We’re looking at issue #10 of Adventures of Superman Book of El, a mid-run moment where the stakes have never felt more personal, or more desperate. This isn’t just about saving the universe anymore; it’s about whether a hero can remember how to hope when the universe seems determined to strip her of everything.
The setup here is rich with mythic weight. After an eternity of solitary combat, fighting enemies in a battle that feels increasingly futile, Kara’s resolve is fraying. The world has moved on without Superman, and she is left to carry the mantle alone. But the isolation is breaking. She is suddenly faced with an unexpected alliance: a Kal-El who is no longer estranged, but standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Nightwing, Flamebird, the Valkyries of Warworld, and even the cosmic inevitability of the Black Racer. Against this backdrop, a newly reborn Brainiac emerges as a terrifying new threat, and the plague of Kryl-Ux looms over them all.
What makes this issue such a compelling pickup is the visual storytelling of Scott Godlewski. His work on this series has always balanced the grandeur of Kryptonian history with the gritty reality of survival, and here he captures the tension of a fractured team trying to realign. The dynamic between Kara and this newly allied Kal-El is palpable, charged with the history of their separation and the urgency of their current crisis. Godlewski doesn’t just draw action; he draws the emotional fallout of war, making every punch and every quiet moment land with equal force. If you’ve been following the slow burn of this series, this is where the pieces finally start to click into place.
This arc is heading toward its conclusion in issue #12, so there is a natural urgency to grab it now. The narrative momentum is building toward a crescendo that redefines the legacy of the House of El. I’d also keep an eye on the companion volumes in the Superman family right now, as Johnson’s writing here often ripples outward to affect the broader continuity. It’s a great time to be deep in the Kryptonian mythos, and this issue is a crucial piece of that puzzle.
One quiet note on the physical copy: Scott Godlewski’s cover art for this drop is striking, perfectly capturing Kara’s weariness and determination. These copies tend to move quickly as readers rush to catch up before the finale, so if you want to read it on newsstand day, it’s worth keeping an eye on the shelves. It’s a poignant, action-packed chapter that asks what it really means to be a symbol when you’re the only one left who remembers why it matters.