Superman: Son of Kal-El #10 – Tom Taylor, Writer; Cian Tormey, Artist; Federico Blee, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: There is always the risk when writing a book tackling political issues that it’ll become more speech than comic. Thankfully, Superman: Son of Kal-El manages to not only be the most topical book on the stands but one of the most entertaining. Combining subplots from Taylor books past and present, it can be heavy but somehow never manages to stop being inspiring. As this issue opens, Lex Luthor takes the stage to deliver an elaborate propaganda rant against Jon Kent, framing him for murder and presenting him as a threat to the world. At the same time, Jon (backed up by Jay and the Revolutionaries), Jon is flying around the world preventing natural disasters where the people are often more scared of him than of the actual danger. Jon might be a young hero, but these scenes are among the most quintessentially Superman scenes I’ve read in a comic in years.
This issue moves fast, with several major developments in only twenty issues. Luthor, having cut a deal with Bendix, is at his most loathsome in years. That makes it all the more entertaining when Lois shows up and pulls off one of the best bluff scenes I’ve ever seen in a DC book. Seriously, Lois is always a great character, but Taylor’s take may be one of the best. Speaking of Lois, she also plays a major role towards the end of the issue where we get one of the most important scenes of the series—Jon’s coming-out. This is handled as well as I could possibly imagine, making it casual but oh-so-meaningful. I don’t think Jon’s father knows yet, but I’m hoping that Taylor gets to write that scene as well. The last few pages bring in another major player and drop one more bombshell—that I assume will be a fake-out. This is pretty close to a perfect comic, and one of the best issues of the series yet.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
