Superman Goes Full Naruto In DC's Latest Action Comics Issue

By Kofi Outlaw - April 25, 2023 05:39 pm EDT

The worlds of comic books and manga often collide – but more often than not, it's the latter genre that pays homage to the iconic franchises and characters that came from mainstream comic culture. This time however, DC is taking a page out of one of anime/manga's biggest icons, Naruto, in big twist reveal of Superman's new powers!

(WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW!)

In Action Comics #1054, Superman and the Super-Family are taking on the latest version of Metallo, who has been updgraded in tech and mentally influenced by an unseen hand. Metallo's main body has created an army of "drones" that have been terrorzing Metropolis, and Superman and Co. have been doing everything they can to contain the spread. Superman's Warworld adoptees Osul-Ra and Otho-Ra get kidnapped by the actual John Corben, so the Man of Steel steps up to the rescue. Because the children are near and dear to him, Superman can quickly isolate their heartbeats and track them to Metallo's base.

When he reaches Metallo's lair, Superman tries to resason with the supervillain, but Corben is in full mania mode, thanks to the mental coercion pushing his psyche. In a rage, Metallo tries to fry Superman with a classic Kryptonite blast – only to find this isn't the same Superman he once knew.

The recent DC story arc that saw Superman imprisoned on Warworld had a climatic twist where the red sun that was de-powering Superman was countered by a material called Genesis found beneath Warworld – it not only restored Superman's powers, but enchanced them in ways we are still learning about, as Action Comics has unfolded. Action Comics #1054 reveals another new ability Superman can manifest, when creates a Naruto Susanoo-style giant energy avatar to block Metallo's kryptonite blasts, and uses it beat the villain down – touting the point that "sometimes a bully needs to know they're not as tough as they think."

(Photo: DC)

As it turns out, Metallo's big upgrade came by way of Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg Superman, who had fitted Corben with a new engine core, built of an Oprhan Box that was made of Genesis minerals. So Metallo ended up giving Superman another super-charge, allowing him to create the avatar.

Other powers that Superman has demonstrated since Warworld includes a Dragon Ball-style Instant Teleportation ability. The manga/anime references on the biggest mainstream comic book hero are glorious to see, as the Japanese artform continues gaining worldwide acclaim.

Action Comics #1054 is on sale at DC.

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