Is a comic still a Superman comic if it hardly features Superman? That’s the question I found myself asking throughout Joshua Williamson’s SUPERMAN ANNUAL 2023 #1. The issue reads more like a Daily Planet annual with a heavy focus on Lois Lane’s new role as Editor-in-Chief and a day in the life of the paper’s editorial staff, including Jimmy Olsen, Cat Grant, and the Lombard siblings. With the bite-sized views into so many Daily Planet employees, the issue reminded me of The Simpsons’ Season 7 episode “22 Short Films About Springfield.” Yet even without the Man of Steel at the forefront, Williamson’s one-shot manages to be engaging, exciting, and eventful.

Whether it’s Jimmy and Lisa Lombard interviewing Mercy Graves on her history, Cat striking a partnership with Marilyn Moonlight during a ride-along with Chief Kekoa, or Lois finding common ground with Livewire, Williamson’s micro-character moments offer a glimpse of what’s in store for the future of his run on Superman as each scene feels intended and not just included as filler. In addition to finding out Perry White was responsible for killing all the stories of Lex Luthor’s early days in Metropolis, Williamson also reveals Braniac as a big-bad in waiting on the final page. Just when we’ll see Perry White or Braniac have a major impact on the ongoing series remains to be seen, but it’s clear that Williamson is using this annual to lay breadcrumbs that may take time to become fully realized. With a writer as smart and capable of balancing pacing across a prolonged period of time as Williamson, I’m excited to see how these storylines all eventually play out.

The issue also include a wonderful mix of artistic approaches from it’s cadre of superstar artists: Mahmud Asrar, Edwin Galmon, Caitlin Yarsky, Max Raynor, and Jack Herbert. It was surprising to see Jamal Campbell absent from the annual after stellar work on the series so far, but the issue hardly suffered with Campbell’s absence. Each artist gets to shine in individual stories and is aided by bold, stunning colors from Dave McCraig and Alex Guimarãres, in addition to Galmon also providing color work, throughout the book.

One thing I did want to mention related to this issue is the truly bizarre timing of it’s release. I have no idea why DC thought it was a good idea to release an annual for one of their most popular superheroes during their “Knight Terrors” event when almost every other major title has taken a two-month hiatus. Superman himself is caught up in the event’s plot and the stories in this annual are happening completely separate from it. Not the end of the world in the grand scheme of things, but a real head-scratcher considering how poorly “Knight Terrors” seems to be unfolding.

Rating: 7/10