Eisner award winner, Tom King alongside legendary master artist Andy Kubert, bring their story once exclusive in Walmart specials now finally to the local comic shops and readers worldwide. Fans will rejoice as all of the once exclusive stories will all soon make their WB debuts in the weeks to come. Reprinting the material from issues 3 and 4 of the retailer exclusives, King and Kubert deliver a heart-wrenching tale about sacrifice and the cost of being a hero.

As the story opens, a young girl recounts to Superman about her and a friend encountering some form of spaceman before the friend is murdered in front of her own eyes as she clutched her favorite Superman action figure. Clark uses his journalistic capabilities and sets out to investigate these mysterious counterfeit Zeta beams. While off on the planet of Rann, another young child dies. A young boy leaps from his roof in attempts to fly like the man of steel as he descends to his death. Superman is at a loss for what action to take, no matter what he chooses, someone will inevitably die.

Andy Kubert brings his unmistakable signature style to the issue and ultimately elevates the material. In one splash page, Kubert paints an entire story and convey more and than what most artists can do in two. Previously unreleased outside of Walmart’s within the United States, fans will finally get their hands on Kubert’s Superman arc and watch the master at work. Brad Anderson brings the high gloss and paints each page in astonishing detail.

Outside of the Super Friends story arc during his Batman run, this is easily the best interaction between Batman and Superman King has done with the duo thus far. Presenting Batman as the ever collected world’s greatest detective suits King far better than the sad sack that graces his run more often than not. He offers a difficult obstacle in front of Superman without mischaracterizing him into something unrecognizable. After his short story in Action Comics 1000 in 2018 alongside this arc, it wouldn’t be far fetched to picture him on the title one day.

Although months old at this point, readers around the world will finally be able to collect these stories for the first time in their intended medium. Tom King and Andy Kubert deliver a spectacular first issue to this small run of sorts. As the story continues to unfold within the Walmart specials currently, these issues will continue to grace the comic shops for months to come.

Grade: A