DC Comics 8/2/23 – JSA #5, Steelworks #3

Adventures of Superman Jon Kent #6

The culmination to Countdown to Injustice ends on what shouldn’t be a surprising note to any reader who’s followed writer Tom Taylor’s run with Jon Kent. While Taylor is fine showing big time superhero action, clashes, sacrifices and death, he’s kept this version of Jon hopeful and constantly aspiring to do what’s best for everyone.

At times, like this issue, that comes off somewhat frustrating. Taylor is making Jon an aspirational hero, which is commendable, but the lengths Taylor goes to keep Jon a pacifist is a bit much. It also makes the moments when Jon springs into action, like he does this issue, feel like conflicts and story arcs wouldn’t need to last as long as they do if Jon were even a tad more proactive.

With Superman and his Justice League comprised of Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Yellow Lantern, The Flash, Hawkgirl and Damian set to execute Batman and his allies, it’s up to Jon to save the day. Taylor makes Jon a strategic character, which doesn’t necessarily ring true with how he typically handles a fight as he’d rather talk than trade punches. There’s plenty of the former here in this big showdown to the point where Taylor showed some Jon-like traits in suggesting that a good conversation was all Jon needed to do to get through to some of the fallen heroes.

The artwork from Clayton Henry and colors from Jordie Bellaire have been consistently great, but this issue might have been their best work. Henry draws very expressive characters, which is a tremendous fit for heroes in the Injustice world. He makes the “action” scenes more physical than they play out selling a great struggle and drama. Bellaire’s colors make for dazzling accompaniment framing the characters and backdrops beautifully.

Taylor is doing something very different with Jon Kent. That leads to a finale that won’t be for everyone. With the end of this Jon-focused mini-series, he’s going to show up next in the Beast World event, hopefully with Taylor continuing to handle his exploits. While the ending wasn’t as strong as previous installments, Jon Kent and Injustice fans should find plenty to enjoy with this conclusion.

Rating: 8 out of 10