Flashback: Clark Kent’s son battles modern day problems in DC’s new Superman series

Lois Lane gave birth Jonathan Samuel Kent in the 2015 convergence Crossover event, but Superman’s son grew up quickly as he was imprisoned on another earth and traveling into the future with the Legion of Super-Heroes. Now he is learning to be his own man and comic book protagonist.

As the title suggests, this is not a Superboy story, but the new mainline Superman title. It’s also a chance to rethink the role of an incredibly powerful superhero.

Who Makes Superman: Son of Kal-El?

The series was written by Tom Taylor, who previously worked for DC on the limited-edition zombie apocalypse series DC reduced and the comic book prequel to the fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us. Both strongly depict a corrupt Superman in which Jonathan Kent fights his father DC reduced. They show that Taylor understands the importance of Superman in the DC Comics universe. John Timms provided the artwork for some issues of Brian Michael Bendis’ Superman run and Future state: Superman from Metropolis, which revolves around Jonathan Kent, so he already has a lot of experience drawing the character with an angular jaw and penetrating gaze, but with a narrower frame and a more cocky smile than his super dad.

The colorist Gabe Eltaeb gives scenes like Green Lantern, which depicts the Justice League in front of fire rifles, alien warships firing at a starry background, or the sunrise over the Fortress of Solitude, some nice bold hues. Dave Sharpe offers lettering using a variety of different styles to indicate the telepathy of Martian Manhunter, panicked firefighters, and a runaway pyrokinetic that help add extra emotion and context without taking up too much space on the panels.

What is Superman: Son of Kal-El # 1 about?

The comic begins with a reconnection and smooths out the weird multiversal gadgets in convergence This led to Jonathan being born in the Bath Cave and giving him a similar but optimized “origin story”. But most of the problem lies firmly in the present, with Jon stepping into California wildfire and becoming increasingly dissatisfied with treating the symptoms of problems like climate change and military brutality rather than the causes.

Taylor and Timms build a story about Jon learning to be Superman in his own way. As one particular guest character notes, “It’s easy to beat a ninja. Somewhat harder to beat are the climate crisis, inequality, the erosion of a free press and the rise of demagogues. “

Why is Superman: Son of Kal-El happening now?

Generation stories are very popular in the superhero media right now, and they reflect the real world conflicts between Millennial and Gen Z activists who are mad at boomers for not doing more to save the world for the future. DC Comics is leaning on the trend by focusing on a younger class of heroes like Jonathan Kent, Yara Flor, and Crush. Superman: son of Kal-El also ties in well with the CW’s Superman & Lois, which is a loose adaptation of the plot by Jonathan Kent. In this version, Jonathan is an athlete with no powers, and his emo brother Jordan, who does not appear in the comics, develops skills that he can barely control.

Is there any required reading?

Superman: son of Kal-El is very approachable if you know the broad lines of Superman and the Justice League. Having read some of the comics that led to this could actually be confusing given the Retcon. But if you want to see more of Jonathan Kent’s childhood and relationship with his parents, you can read Bendis in wraps recently Superman Run. To learn more about his friendship with Damian Wayne and some of their adventures, read Great sounds by Peter J. Tomasi and Jorge Jimenez. Future state: Superman from Metropolis also gives a look at the character and the heavy burden placed on him as Superman’s successor.

Is Superman: Son of Kal-El # 1 any good?

Taylor plans a bold new course for Superman to keep the character relevant in a way that is reminiscent of Action comics # 900. The title of the issue is “Truth, Justice, and a Better World” rather than “The American Way,” recognizing that sometimes doing the right thing for humanity or the planet means defying the US government. Superman has often been portrayed as a patriotic moron, but Jonathan shows that he’s more willing to question authority and try to bring about systemic change rather than just literally putting out fires.

The intro feels a lot like a transition from Bendis’ run all the way to the jokes between Justice League members telling Superman over and over not to worry about the attempted alien invasion. There are some high spirits, like Wonder Woman informing Batman that running tests on Jonathan right after he was born really doesn’t help his reputation as a paranoid weirdo, and Damian is apparently a shonen manga character who goes against ninja who is trying to meddle in a mysterious tournament he is competing in. [Ed. note: He’s running away from his feelings in the Robin series by joining a Mortal Kombat-style assassin tournament on an island where no one can die.]

Bendis turned Jonathan into a galactic peacemaker by asking him to create a United Nations space for time travelers to assist. The whole thing felt way too simple and hollow at a time of increasing global tension. Taylor acknowledges the world’s serious problems with sentences like “Firefighters said this was a once in every centennial fire. It seems like we have that every year now. ”The comic also recognizes the influence of Lois Lane and her journalistic mission to expose corruption and injustice against Jonathan and put him on the path to the best parts of his parents, more extraterrestrial and more human to embody.

The question that both Jonathan and Taylor ask themselves is how a superhero can really deal with systemic problems without going so far as to take over the world, a problem featured in Netflix’s adaptation of. was treated extremely badly Jupiter’s legacy. This run is promising, but it will be a real challenge to live up to the lofty goal of reinventing the world’s most iconic superhero for a new generation.

A panel that has burst

This panel and the following scene are reminiscent of the passage in Grant Morrisons All-Star: Supermanwhere Superman stops a suicidal teenager from jumping off a building and gives her a comforting hug. In both cases, the authors make it clear that compassion is Superman’s greatest power.