Comics / Comics News

Blackest Night: Adventure Comics #5 Cover Revealed

By Andy Doan
September 7, 2009 - 13:28

DC revealed the cover for Adventure Comics number five today (09/07/09) on their “Source” blog.

The cover shows who I assume is Black Lantern Alex Luthor holding the unconscious and bleeding (presumably dead) body of Superman Prime. With the cryptic nature of these attention grabbing covers I really don’t think we’re being told anything about the story line directly.

The BL Luthor designed without lips, eyelids or irises it’s really hard to tell if he’s happy (and laughing) or saddened by the condition of Prime. Luthor’s posture is so similar to other cover’s from the past (notably Crisis on Infinite Earths #7) that it’s hard to ignore the parody.



Differences in this contemporary look at the standard death and loss pose are in the way that the figures stand alone without a supporting cast in the background. Prime and Alexander had a previous partnership and conspired to alter the universe leading up to Infinite Crisis. Although they picked up accomplices along the way it was their original relationship that held the significance. This may suggest that in death Superboy Prime and Luthor will form another partnership as the Blackest Night plot continues. The absence of the supporting cast may be a symbol that their actions may put them in conflict with the rest of the Black Lantern Corps.

Of course we can’t assume that Prime is destined to die. In other iterations of this same cover we always seeing the dead being carried by the living. Since we know that Alexander Luthor is defiantly dead Prime may end up alive when it’s all said and done. Luthor may try to convince his former crisis conspirer to make the ultimate sacrifice to join the ranks of the BL Corps. Luthor has already shown his willingness to coerce Prime to his own ends, we might see him attempting the same thing here. In this case the lack of support in the background might suggest the failure of the attempt because there’s no one there to take notice.

Theories abound but in the end I really don’t think we’ll know what’s going to happen until this issue drops sometime in December. In the meanwhile fans of this crossover series will have to continue grasping at what little info we’re giving while enjoying the individual issues page by page as they’re made available.

BTW I’d love to hear all other theories on the outcome of Blackest Night. Feel free to comment on this article or contact me via Twitter http://twitter.com/AndyDoanCBB.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12