REVIEW: ADVENTURES OF THE SUPER SONS #4 (OF 12)

The initial run of Super Sons was one of my go-to recommendations for a pure fun – take an escape from the seriousness of the real world – comic. I loved it so much that I bought the trades for various friends and family to read. For those who prefer reading digital, I have walked them through signing up for Hoopla and a local library card, just to check this series out (and jump into the world of comics). If you are reading this, you are likely the same type of super fan that goes out of your way to share what you think is awesome. In recent times, Super Sons (along with Black Hammer and a few others) has been that series for me.

What made Super Sons a great recommendation? The odd-couple relationship that blossomed between Jon and Damian was the main reason. The quips and long-running jokes between them felt so grounded and produced many laugh out loud moments. It was awesome seeing them transition to the true friends they have become. Peter J. Tomasi has a hold of these characters in the same way that he did in his recent highly acclaimed Superman run. It’s that perfect pairing of a creator who seems born to write these characters. Jorge Jimenez’s beautiful mix of classic and manga style with an animated flair also lent itself perfectly to the book.

With that said, how does the new maxi-series hold up? Not quite as well so far, but it’s still a great book (and still early, only issue 4 out of 12). My primary reasons for the slight dip are the loss of now Justice League superstar Jimenez who had drawn iconic versions of these characters (Jon Samuel Kent’s Superboy outfit was his design – how is DC not selling that awesome hoodie?) and less emphasis on Jon and Damian. Throughout this series, the emphasis has been on building the young villain team and throwing in some gimmicky elements. Granted these have been executed well, but as I tried to get across in my long-winded opening, just not enough of the Super Sons. I like the idea of an alien who was inspired by Earth’s greatest villains (instead of heroes) and does horrid things to build his own group of super-villains, but I’m ultimately here for Jon and Damian.

In this issue, we do get some genuinely funny interactions with the Super Sons. In the final teaser page of issue 2, Jon was split into two, with red and blue versions of himself, a la late 90s Superman. As you can imagine this opens up some fun possibilities and this issue delivers on getting back to the core that I felt was missing in the earlier issues. We finally get some prolonged scenes with the boys interacting and showing how they deal with the direct challenges that lie ahead. They are very much the sons of the great men and woman who raised them, facing their fears and leaping into action.

Carlo Barberi’s art is fantastic. I was/am very attached to Jorge Jimenez when it comes to these characters (especially Jon), but Barberi has the same excellent skill for drawing children/teens that don’t look like big-headed adults. The art is dynamic and expressive with a nice assist from the punchy, saturated colors.

I’m excited that this issue gets back to putting the emphasis on Jon and Damian. It does a wonderful job of wrapping up the “Action Detectives” storyline and thrusting us into “The Lost Boys”. This is a must pickup for fans of the Super Sons and anyone who wants a genuinely fun book that has a strong core of well-written characters and doesn’t take itself too seriously. 4 out of 5 stars.

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Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Art by Carlo Barberi and Matt Santorelli
Colors by PROTOBUNKER
Published by DC Comics