DC Comics reviews 8/24/21 – Robin #5, Checkmate #3
Superman Son of Kal-El #2
Jonathan Kent gets a new alias of Finn Connors as he sets out for his first day of college. It’s still regrettable that DC editorial thought it was such a great idea to fast forward through so many of Jon’s formative years. Writer Tom Taylor doesn’t believe in easy answers for characters and a college setting makes sense for his take on the character as this is the period where most young people truly start defining their futures.
Jon is trying to decide what shape his life should take and if he should be as involved or more involved than his father, Superman. The two have an honest conversation where Taylor seems to question if Superman should take a more active role in saving humanity.
As the writer of the fantastic Injustice series, it would be amazing if Jon somehow gets transported to the Injustice era and sees what happens if Superman has too much power. Of course during his accelerated growth spurt, Jon was on Earth-3 and saw the Crime Syndicate rule the world. The question with Superman is always how much influence should he have over the world before becoming its dictator?
Taylor also introduces a new character and fellow student of Jonathan. Some sites are already speculating over the nature of this character and assuming this will be a love interest although Jon explicitly stated his frustration with not having that many friends. Sometimes it feels like friends have become a forgotten aspect of comic books as shippers (and some writers) look to pair every comic character together.
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Artist John Timms is already creating some iconic Jon Kent imagery portraying him in the most heroic light. The setting for the Superman/Jon conversation is spectacular and puts a totally different spin on the standard father/son chat. Gabe Eltaeb’s color work for Superman has always been strong with striking reds, blues and yellows making for a very visually pleasing issue.
Taylor wraps things up with a subtle introduction to this first arc’s big villain and it’s telling that he’s not located in Metropolis. Jonathan Kent is going to be a Superman without borders and it’s going to be very interesting seeing the scope of his reach.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10