Superman: Codename: Patriot

Greg Rucka and James Robinson scripted this single-issue DC special from 2010, illustrated by Julian Lopez, which served as a pivotal lead-in to the "New Krypton" saga. It condensed the sprawling storyline's key threads—Superman's divided loyalties, the militarized standoff between Earth and the Kryptonian city of New Krypton—into a tense, streamlined narrative. As a concise bridge chapter, it mattered for setting the stage for the conflict's explosive climax without overstaying its welcome.