DC Comics reviews 4/4/23 – Batman #134, The Flash #796

Adventures of Superman Jon Kent #2

Tom Taylor has his share of critics who mistakenly think he doesn’t pack a lot of action into his stories. Clearly these aren’t readers of Dark Knights of Steel or the still continuing DCeased War of the Undead Gods. Adventures of Superman won’t get those complaints either as this second installment is full of some surprising action developments and a big unexpected twist (literally).

Jon Kent and Earth-2’s Val Zod & Red Tornado are set to travel the multiverse to stop Ultraman from killing off Supermen. Val Zod and Red Tornado don’t have a lot of options to stop Ultraman and even less Jonathan Kent choices. Taylor even drops a subtle line about another of his fun DC projects, DCeased, which also prominently features Jon Kent.

Ultraman isn’t a chump opponent and has no problem facing uneven odds since none of this trio is prepared to match his savagery and cruelness. And Ultraman has a quick means of evening the odds right until another combatant joins the fray.

There wasn’t a lot of action playing out in Superman Son of Kal-El, but for fans of Jon, this series is hitting the right spot of continued excellent character development for Jon and matching up against a super powerful foe.

Clayton Henry’s artwork continues to impress. He has the perfect mix of realism with a fun, animated style that gives his art a unique and inviting touch. Pairing Henry with colorist supreme Jordie Bellaire just ensures this title has some of the best looking artwork in comics today. Letterer Wes Abbott also brings a clean style with very subtle sound effects that are almost easy to miss if you’re not paying attention.

This has been a very great surprise. Not a total shock considering the talent behind the pages, but it’s been a better and stronger read than I anticipated. The cliffhanger ensures the thrills have only just begun.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10