The life of Superman was haunted and tormented by one villain more than another. But Mister Mxyztplk’s cruel tricks and Fifth Dimensional sorcery may finally come to an end, now that Superman has finally unlocked his own magical imp. And this higher level being might have a chance to become the most powerful being in the entire DC Universe.
Superman finally creates his own imp, Kal-Elf
Superman: The Specter of Kryptonite #4 by W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo, Chris O’Halloran
There’s a very good chance that even longtime fans of the DC Universe can have a love/hate relationship with the likes of Mister Mxyztplk, Bat-Mite, and the other reality-warping denizens of DC’s infamous “Fifth Dimension.” Effectively taking place in a realm of imagination far beyond anything resembling reality, stories about a strange place (and its inhabitants) are often “too strange” for traditional superhero fans.
But nothing is too weird for the rest Superman: The Specter of Kryptonite from DC Black Label, pitting Kal-El against the strangest varieties of Kryptonite ever discovered. So when a strange piece of rainbow Kryptonite drags him into the Fifth Dimension, the Man of Steel’s sanity is at stake as much as his very life (the loss of either of them resulting in death in the real world).
As Mxy explains, the very existence of the Fifth Dimension risks being erased by an unimaginative child. But without an imp familiar to guide his mind like Batman and Bat-Mite’s teamwork, Kal-El must do the impossible and imagine one. Luckily, there’s no better place to dream of something coming true than the Fifth Dimension.
And as Kal-Elf will soon demonstrate, his superlative skills and power are just as powerful in this magical realm as the real Superman is on Earth. With virtually no limits on his abilities or referential skills (immediately citing John Williams’ score for Superman: The Movie as an entrance theme), Kal-Elf quickly dominates the dreamscape as easily as Kal-El reigns over reality.
The day is saved and Superman returns home, but there’s no denying that after half a century, Superman finally received not just a fifth-dimensional imp to ruin his day, but a familiar at his side. And there’s no question of putting this genie back in the bottle.
What does the future hold for Superman’s new elf sidekick?
Now that the series has introduced both Superman’s god-level fifth-dimensional imp and the exact tool he needs to get there intentionally, a new era of Superman comics has been opened up for creators. As mentioned above, the Bat-Mite hijinks era certainly wasn’t for everyone (and even less so for modern readers). Despite this, Kal-Elf marks a historic debut for DC Comics.
It may be too early to imagine what Black Label series could bring Kal-El and Elf together for an unforgettable psychedelic battle across non-linear space. But based on the work of the creative team of Prince and Morazzo in this issue, this dynamic duo is simply too good to not capitalize on. It may take a while, but this won’t be the last time DC fans see Kal-Elf, Superman’s 5D pet.
Superman: The Specter of Kryptonite #4 is available now from DC Comics.
- Created by
-
Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel
- First appearance
-
Action Comics
- Alias
-
Kal-El, Clark Kent, Jonathan Kent
- Alliance
-
Justice League, Superman Family
- Race
-
Kryptonian
- Franchise
-
CC
