DC has provided ComicBook.com with an exclusive first look at a pair of variant covers for September’s Action Comics issues — and, like the solicitation text for those issues, they strongly hint that Superman has a personal connection to the man under Mr. Oz’s hood.
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The covers are from artist Neil Edwards, with color by Jeromy Cox, a change from the original solicitations which said the variants would come from Batman artist Mikel Janin.
Given the context of the issue, and a recently-released lenticular cover for Action Comics #988 which appears to show Jor-El being consumed by the same blue energy that has been seen in stories like “Superman Reborn” and “The Button,” it does not seem entirely impossible that Mr. Oz is in fact Superman’s biological father. That theory has gained some traction recently after being spread by Bleeding Cool a little over a week ago.
The cover for Action Comics #987 features Mr. Oz unmasking, and Superman looking shocked. The reader cannot see Oz’s face, although from behind he appears to have a headband and exposed hair — a descriptor that could apply to Ozymandias, Jor-El (in most continuities, including the current version), or numerous other characters, including Booster Gold.
The second image, the Action Comics #988 cover, is blacked out but appears to show Mr. Oz sitting on a throne made from some kind of machinery. The headrest of the chair vaguely resembles the marketing logo that was used for Zero Hour: A Crisis In Time, a ’90s crossover miniseries written by Action Comics scribe Dan Jurgens. Its golden color its general aesthetic could easily be Kryptonian as well.
You can check out the covers in the attached image gallery, and the solicitation text for the issues below. “The Oz Effect,” a two-part mini-event that resolves one of the longest-running mysteries in the Superman titles, will launch on September 13 and conclude on September 27 within the pages of Action Comics.
ACTION COMICS #987
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art by VIKTOR BOGDANOVIC
Lenticular cover by NICK BRADSHAW
Variant cover by MIKEL JANIN
“THE OZ EFFECT” part one! The agents of the mysterious Mr. Oz begin to move as the Man of Steel works to stop the chaos they unleash in Metropolis and across the globe. But when Mr. Oz steps from the shadows his identity rocks the Last Son of Krypton to his core. The story that began in DC Universe: Rebirth #1 begins to end here!
On sale SEPTEMBER 13 • Lenticular version $3.99 • Nonlenticular version $2.99 US • RATED T
ACTION COMICS #988
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art by RYAN SOOK
Lenticular cover by NICK BRADSHAW
Variant cover by MIKEL JANIN
“THE OZ EFFECT” part two! As Superman struggles with the ramifications of Mr. Oz’s identity, the mysterious figure’s origins and the long road to Superman’s doorstep finally reveal themselves.
On sale SEPTEMBER 27 • Lenticular version $3.99 • Nonlenticular version $2.99 US • RATED T
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