Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #2 – Tom Taylor, Writer; Clayton Henry, Artist; Jordie Bellaire, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This run is only six issues, likely wrapping up Tom Taylor’s Jon Kent series, and what an adventure it is. After taking on a foreign dictator in the previous run, Jon is now off to the Multiverse to hunt down the man who kidnapped and tortured him years back—Ultraman. The sadistic Crime Syndicate chairman has been leaving a trail of carnage across the multiverse, killing every Kal-el he can find. Jon has been recruited by Val-Zod and Red Tornado of Earth-2, both Taylor creations. Before Jon leaves, he has some emotional farewells with Jay and Lois, and one of the best things Taylor does with this book is drive home just how much of an emotional impact the work of a superhero has. Jon is largely invincible, but his mind isn’t, and he still has a lot of scars—something Lois is worried he’ll come back with more of. It’s a great way to begin the issue—because once the travel happens, it’s all action.
It doesn’t take long for them to find Ultraman, and the villain makes short work of neutralizing Val-Zod and Red Tornado. That leaves it a straight battle between the two old enemies, and Ultraman’s brutality is very clear. This is a character who’s not necessarily one of the smartest evil Supermen, but he’s such a base sadist that he usually wins fights through sheer bully energy. His glee as he realizes his favorite torture victim is back is visceral and unpleasant—and short-lived, as Jon taps into some new powers with a ton of strength and some serious limitations. Of course, Ultraman isn’t the evil Superman we’re really here to see—and the Injustice Superman makes his entrance before the end of the issue with an unexpected act and an even more surprising reaction. I suspected that this was going to be Taylor’s attempt to add more nuance to that universe after the surprisingly excellent video game tie-ins he did, and the ending makes pretty clear this isn’t just going to be another fight comic.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
