(My first gut reaction to this issue and story line prior to reading this issue.)
(Breathe…)
I’m going to give Bendis the benefit of the doubt and reserve my final opinion until this storyline has fully played out. That’s my nice way of saying Bendis still has time to come to his senses and fix this. Jon was one of the best things to happen to Lois and Clark. Superman Rebirth/Reborn brought back a lot of lapsed Superman fans and getting to see the Kent family with papa Superman was one of the highlights. It provided a rare opportunity for the character to grow and for a new range of stories to be told. Finally, Superman had someone to pass his knowledge onto. Like many parents, he could finally know what he put Martha and Jonathan through. It grounded Superman in a way that we hadn’t seen in a while (the 90s?) and Jonathan had exactly the type of personality that you would expect him to have. He was a good, respectful boy who had the support of a great family. Combining that with a friend to contrast that against, such as Damian Wayne, you had a very compelling character. Knowing that Lois and Clark will have been robbed of all those life moments, puberty, etc. is gutting to me because it’s something I assumed we would see. It feels like a gut punch and a real loss.
(After reading the issue with time to think and allowing my emotions to settle.)
Maybe this is meant to feel like a loss and that is the point? Maybe I shouldn’t always get what I want? In real life, tragedies happen, and to read it happen to the ‘Greatest’ (as Jon calls his father) can provide some consolation to those in similar places in their life. Jon didn’t die, but many in real life, come into scenarios where they are estranged from their children and miss those moments, unintentionally or intentionally. Reading this can provide strength to those in a similar place and isn’t that what Superman is about? A criticism of Superman is that he’s infallable, but his greatest weakness will always be his heart. With this storyline, Bendis hits home that despite his vast powers, he can be hurt emotionally, but the true strength of the character is in how he deals with these events.
The pressure Jon feels having Superman as his father (‘He’s the Greatest’) feels real and palpable and it’s something that hasn’t really been dug into yet. Having the chance to see Superman’s legend shown to him on a galactic scale was a way to hit that home. The connection he has with Jor-El is fascinating as they both feel like they have been brought together through nearly impossible circumstances. The moment where Superman flies off to deal with what he’s feeling really got to me.
Getting to the technical aspect of this issue and it hits all the right points. It is well written and well drawn as you would expect from the creative team involved. Ivan Reis is one of the best artists working today and Brandon Peterson does a great job keeping up the high standards on art for the majority of the book. Bendis’ work so far on Superman has been compelling. The main cover is striking with a very intense Jon and shocked Superman. It feels like a throwback cover. The Liefeld alternate cover is very bland and I’m not generally a Liefeld hater. It’s interesting to see him draw Superman but feels really out of place for this issue.
I give this issue 4 out of 5 stars. If you have a strong connection to Superman (along with Lois and Jon), this issue will likely bring out a variety of emotions. The ending of the issue feels like we will be taking a fun, but unnecessary detour in the upcoming issues. I would have liked us to continue hearing Jon’s emotional journey and less of the action portion. Of course, I’m speculating slightly in that regard.
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Brandon Peterson, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado
Colors by Alex Sinclair
Published by DC Comics
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