Warning! Spoilers ahead for Superman #13!The latest asset Superman has procured is something that’s going to have collectors everywhere demanding it be immortalized in an action figure. Brainiac has stolen some of Earth’s greatest heroes and the Man of Steel is heading out into space to save them thanks to a powerful and seriously cool motorbike.
In Superman #13 by Joshua Williamson and Rafa Sandoval, Superman is furious after his family is abducted by Brainiac. Superman tracks down Lobo, the one person able to help Clark find Brainiac, and convinces the Czarnain to help him.
After witnessing footage of Brainiac’s attack, Lobo agrees to help. Unfortunately, it’s hard to get off-planet thanks to the United Planets quarantining Earth. Thankfully, the minds at Supercorp have a small vehicle aided by cloaking technology to help Clark travel undetected. Superman is given a space motorcycle much like Lobo’s infamous ride and the two head out to find Brainiac.
Superman has fought Brainiac before, but never has the hyper-intelligent menace been more of a threat. Armed with drones and a battalion of Czarnian soldiers, Brainiac attacked Metropolis and overpowered the Superman Family. Brainiac bottled every metahuman in the city and transported them to his ship as part of research into the mystery of Earth’s copious metahuman population. Brainiac almost nearly got his hands on Superman, until Lex Luthor sacrificed himself and was captured instead of Clark. Brainiac left as quickly as he arrived, taking the powerful beings away to study, while Superman furiously planned to get his family back.
Speaking at a recent roundtable attended by Screen Rant, Joshua Williamson spoke of Superman’s new bike saying:
Williamson makes a good point that Superman was often given redundant toys that didn’t exactly make sense for a man who could fly faster than most planes or cars. But there’s something fun about finding an in-universe reason for Clark to use something as off-the-wall as a space motorcycle. In this case, it was to help Superman overcome an established quarantine around the Earth. The space motorcycle is a strong indicator of the cool gadgets that could be coming Superman’s way.
The current Superman run has seen the Man of Steel get fancy new weapons and suits of armor, showcasing Williamson’s desire to give Clark the kind of accessories one would find in old-school toy designs. What’s really fun about the innovations being brought to Superman lore is that they’re not done just because they look cool, they serve a purpose that enhances the story.
Sure Clark’s new bike is awesome and would look awesome in action figure form. But Superman’s bike is also giving him what he needs to save his family in this trying moment.
Superman #13 is available now from DC Comics.