Superman Retcon Gives Man of Steel a New Mentor

The current run on Action Comics has been quietly reshaping Superman’s backstory. One of the biggest shifts has been Clark Kent officially starting out as Superboy at 15, complete with Krypto by his side from those early days. Now, the latest issue adds another wrinkle to the mythology: a mentor who happens to be a deep-cut character from DC Comics history.

Clark Kent Meets His Hidden Teacher

Written by Mark Waid with art by Skylar Patridge, Action Comics #1089 puts the Kent family in an unusual situation. Clark’s old history teacher, Mr. Blake, shows up at their door. At first, it sounds like trouble—Blake admits he’s always known Clark’s secret identity. Instead of threatening to expose him, though, he goes in a completely different direction: revealing that he himself is a superhero.

Mr. Blake isn’t just a teacher. He’s also the spacefaring adventurer known as Captain Comet, a name long-time DC readers will recognize.

Captain Comet’s Role in Young Superman’s Growth

In the story, Captain Comet doesn’t simply congratulate Clark on keeping his powers hidden. He shares hard-earned wisdom, telling the teenager about other worlds, other heroes, and how many of them failed—not because they weren’t strong, but because they grew arrogant.

The very next day, Clark has a rough experience with bullies in Smallville. That’s when Comet gives him his first real trial: stopping a dangerous lotus swarm that threatens the town. The mission forces Clark to use more than just brute force. He has to improvise, stay calm, and think creatively about how to apply his powers.

That lesson sticks with him. For the first time, Clark learns what it means to be clever with his gifts, not just powerful. But even then, he realizes he knows very little about the mysterious older hero who had just stepped into his life.

Who Exactly Is Captain Comet?

For newer readers, Captain Comet might sound like an obscure addition. In truth, he’s one of DC’s oldest and strangest characters.

Captain Comet debuted in 1951’s Strange Adventures #9, created by Julius Schwartz, John Broome, and Carmine Infantino. His alter ego, Adam Blake, started as an ordinary librarian before discovering he was anything but ordinary. Unlike most superheroes who gained their abilities through freak accidents or alien heritage, Blake was born a mutant—an evolutionary leap forward into what humanity might someday become.

After realizing his telepathy, telekinesis, and other powers, he used them to fend off an alien invasion. Then, true to his explorer spirit, he built a rocket and took off into the cosmos, traveling the galaxy as a lone protector.

Why Captain Comet Matters in Comics History

Captain Comet is a fascinating figure because of his place in comic book history. Alongside Marvel’s Namor the Sub-Mariner, he was one of the earliest examples of a hero who was born with powers instead of acquiring them later. That idea wouldn’t fully take off until the X-Men in the 1960s, but Comet was already paving the way a decade earlier.

He’s also remembered as one of the few notable superheroes of the so-called Atomic Age. His stories ran from 1951 to 1954, a quiet stretch between the Golden Age of heroes like Superman and Batman and the Silver Age resurgence that would bring in characters like Barry Allen’s Flash. This in-between status makes him something of a bridge character, connecting two distinct eras of comic storytelling.

Why He Fits as Superman’s Mentor

Placing Captain Comet in Superman’s backstory isn’t random nostalgia—it actually makes sense. As a figure caught between ages, Comet represents a kind of proto-superhero who learns lessons the hard way, lessons a young Clark Kent could benefit from.

By showing up in Action Comics #1089 as a mentor, he positions Superman as the heir to an earlier generation of heroes. It deepens Clark’s journey, showing that his growth wasn’t just from Pa Kent’s wisdom or his own trial and error—he also had guidance from someone who’d been out in the universe long before him.

What This Means for Superman’s Retconned Past

This retcon continues Mark Waid’s effort to enrich Superman’s formative years. Instead of rewriting him entirely, it fills in gaps: who he learned from, how he tested his abilities, and how those early lessons shaped the Man of Steel we know today.

With Captain Comet now part of the mythos, Superman’s history gains another layer, tying him not just to Earth’s small-town values but to a broader legacy of cosmic heroism.

Action Comics #1089 is available now at comic shops everywhere.

Keywords:

Action Comics

Captain Comet

Clark Kent

Comic News

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DC Comics

Mark Waid

Skylar Patridge

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Superman