Yes, Superman banged a mermaid last week

All of the comics world is obsessed with the plot twists of Powers of X, but this week there was an undercurrent of conversation to compete with the curious lives of Moira X. Which is to say, in Frank Miller and John Romita Jr.’s Superman: Year One, Superman totally had sex with a mermaid.

Specifically, he met and romanced Lori Lemaris, a character with a surprisingly long comics history that can basically be summed up as “Superman’s mermaid ex-girlfriend.” She’s a mermaid, from the undersea city Tritonis, which is sort of a part of Atlantis and sort of not, because at the time there wasn’t a lot of coordination on how the DC Universe’s water levels should work.

You don’t have to take any of this as an endorsement. I just thought you should know.

What else is happening in the pages of the biggest comics? We’ll tell you. Welcome to Polygon’s weekly list of the books that our comics editor enjoyed this past week. It’s part society pages of superhero lives, part reading recommendations, part “look at this cool art.” There may be some spoilers. There may not be enough context. Let’s get started with the best new comics of the week.

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Superman: Year One #2

The thing is... Frank Miller really wants you to know, with certainty, that Superman fucks.

Debian Perl: Digital Detective: The Memory Thief

With the caveat that I did not have time to read all of Debian Perl: Digital Detective, what I did read was a really cute kid-friendly exploration of the basics of how computer hardware and software works, with a focus on coding, set in a friendly Blade Runner-esque cartoon future. You probably know a kid who’d love this book.

New World

David Jesus Vignolli/Boom Studios

New World is a tale of struggle against colonizers set in the 16th century. Creator David Jesus Vignolli is a Brazilian artist who can trace his ancestry to Native Brazilians, African slaves, and Portuguese settlers. The book deftly combines history and fantasy without diminishing the seriousness of the former or the optimism of the latter.

Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #2

It’s all fun and games until Fraction and Lieber punch you in the heart with a panel of embedded wartime photographer Jimmy Olsen.

Batman #77

Tom King, Mikel Janín/DC Comics

Batman #77 chucked a live grenade in the room when it mercilessly showed Bane snapping Alfred Pennyworth’s neck.

Powers of X #3

Yeah, some stuff went down in Powers of X #3 last week. But, do you ever think about how Moira X has probably banged Professor X, Magneto, and Apocalypse, and Professor X likely saw all of that when he looked inside her mind in Powers of X #1? I bet Frank Miller does.