Superman: Son of Kal-El #3 – Tom Taylor, Writer; John Timms, Artist; Gabe Eltaeb, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Set before Superman’s departure from Earth this week, the adventures of Jon Kent continue with an issue that calls back to Jon’s knowledge from the future—that Superman isn’t supposed to return from this journey into space. But for right now, there are still two Supermen on Earth—and they begin the issue with a high-speed rescue of hundreds of people from a collapsing apartment building. But it’s not a construction issue—it’s a localized earthquake caused by an out-of-control metahuman just like the one in the first issue. We know Henry Bendix is involved here, and Jon once again tries to help the confused young meta. However, he’s soon forced to get much more involved in the affairs of Gamorra when the government decides to return the refugees he rescued last issue. In an intense protest where Jon clashes with the cops again, he makes a decision no Superman has before—getting arrested.
It’s another case of how Jon is a very different Superman, one who isn’t satisfied with sitting on the sidelines of local politics. In many ways, he’s his mother’s son that way. While he only stays in jail a short time, his message gets out there. The follow-up also brings his new friend Jay Nakamura into the picture, and the young journalist is a lot of fun. How great is it to have a supporting character who hero-worships Lois and not Superman? The family dinner on the Kent farm manages to pack some real emotion in as it comes time for Clark to say goodbye to the rest of his family, and I was glad to see Martha Kent get some meaty scenes. But then it turns into a very different story in the last page, with a devastating cliffhanger that has to be a fake-out because I can’t imagine there being any casualties. It’s another excellent issue that has packed a lot of story into only three installments so far.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
