SuperDad and Dreamer In This Month’s SuperChat

It’s all about the kids, really. On Warworld, we see the origin of the Orphan, and his strange connection to Genesis that’s been fuelling Mongul’s new plans, in Action Comics #1044, written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, drawn by Riccardo Federici and Will Conrad, colored by Lee Loughridge, and lettered by Dave Sharpe, with a back-up story about A World Without Clark Kent, written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, drawn by David Lapham, colored by Trish Mulvihill and lettered by Dave Sharpe.

Also back on Earth, Jon meets a new ally, as Dreamer makes her comics debut in Superman: Son of Kal-El #13, scripted by Tom Taylor and Nicole Maines, drawn by Clayton Henry, colored by Marcelo Maiolo and Matt Herms, and lettered by Dave Sharpe.

Finally, trapped in another world, Superman dreams of another life, one he could have shared with his son had Jon not been taken from him, in Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League: Superman, written by Tom King, drawn by Chris Burnham, colored by Adriano Lucas, and lettered by Troy Peteri.

Lastly, the capes are folded, and put aside, as the trio who raised the World’s Finest meet for dinner in Batman: Wayne Family Adventures Ep. 47, written by CRC Payne, inked by Starbite, with storyboards by Maria Li, backgrounds by Suzi Blake, flats & rendering by C.M. Cameron and lettering by Kielamel Sibal. 

Armaan Babu: As much as I try to find a common theme for the intro every month, this is a real mixed bag of Super-centric comics we got here, Tony! Any particular standouts for you?

Tony Thornley: Dammit, that Dark Crisis issue. Dammit…

This Lore is Canon-Fodder

Armaan: I am glad we finally got to this, because I’ve been extremely curious about this baby-in-a-jar ever since his first appearance, and Tony, that was a while ago!

Before we discuss that, I want to talk a bit about how the Warworld Saga’s been going. It’s been particularly lore heavy. Now, I’m loving the weird stories, the random additions to both Warworld and Kryptonian culture that’s getting teased out, the lore dumps and the implications of more that never made it to the page — but I’ve always been the kind of guy to read all the optional side-lore in video games. After a while, though, when there’s too much of it and it’s crowding out the main story, my attention starts to wander…and I’m starting to feel the startings of that here. Are you feeling the same — especially knowing that a lot of the stuff that’s being introduced here is probably not going to be picked up by other writers?

Tony: This is exactly what I was thinking about the issue. It was such a lore dump that the only thing that stuck for me about it was a few small moments- Clark giving a gift to the Phaelosian children, OMAC trying to force Mongul to resurrect Lightray, the rebellion freeing Enchantress- rather than the bulk of the story. And maybe I should backtrack a little.

You get two halves to this issue. One is a Lore Dump(™) and the other is the more meaty plot advancing part of story- first the advancement of the rebellion, second, Lois, Steel and Supergirl trying to save Thao-La on Earth. The lore dump felt way longer than it actually was and drug on way longer than it should have.

Armaan: Long story short, Orphan is the child of two scientists studying the Source Wall. When the Justice League broke through the wall, they died — but their child survived, and his robotic protector Darling evolved to protect him. What his powers are exactly are about as vague as anything having to do with the Source Wall, but now that he’s out from Mongul’s thumb, he appears to be quite open to helping out Superman and his team rescue the Enchantress from the witch we learned about last issue. 

Tony: Again, this title is using the shared DCU better than most of DC’s line. Anyways…

Armaan: The battle itself felt a little crowded to me, but I enjoyed the visual twistedness of it. While Orphan’s origin story was drawn by Wil Conrad in a way that lent itself better to its sci-fi nature, on Warwold itself we’re still in the Conan-like fantasy barbarian mode that Riccardo Frederici does so well. Purple monsters shapeshifting into forms of teeth, tar-like tentacles and tendrils of smoke and bursts of sun-like Source energy countering it. Superman wields the energy of the Source, which I can’t help but notice looks a lot like sunlight. 

Mongul is quickly running out of allies…but he’s not out of tricks. Turns out Warworld has strange reanimator priests – who read like mad scientists who took the religious way ‘round – and brought a warped version of Lightray back to life! That’s two of Superman’s allies in Mongul’s inner circle — but is that ultimately a benefit for Mongul, or for Superman when he makes his inevitable tide-turning speech to OMAC and Lightray?

Tony: Superman and the Authority set up that Lightray is incredibly important to the future of the DCU. The way Johnson has used the shared universe and continuity like I mentioned a minute ago, there’s no way that’s not in his plans. My guess is that it won’t be Clark appealing to her humanity- at least not for Lightray. With how Genesis is appearing to be linked more and more to the Source, maybe Genesis unlocks who she was?

And if that happens, I hope we get a Lore Dump(™) issue about Lightray, because I really want to know more about her. She’s the character that’s the biggest cipher here and give me more. Is she a reincarnation of the classic New God? Is she like Takion, a human destined to ascend? Or is she something else? I want to know more!

Armaan: Lastly, I wanted to talk about the scene between Superman and the Koltari puzzle boxes. It’s quiet scenes like this that keep me from being overwhelmed by all the other stuff going on in this saga, and where I feel Johnson’s writing is the most interesting. I love the idea of a puzzle box that reconfigures itself into a new puzzle every time you solve it — and I love the thought of Superman making it for Jon, to revive a lost culture, a culture that Kal-El’s getting a second chance to explore with the Phaelosians. It was a lovely, cozy, charming little breather of a scene, Superman dad-stuff is great.

Tony: This is sort of where I think we get the theme of the month- Super-Dad. Clark’s parental instincts come through here and I’m so glad for it. These two Phaelosian kids have humanized the oppressed Warzoons and I like that.

I was really glad for the back-up feature. I really hope that the Super-line editors realize what a boon it is to the the overall story in Action. Showing Supergirl, Steel and Lois keeping shit together (only barely) worked really well, and I was glad to see Kara show up. She deserves to co-lead Action Comics until she eventually gets her own titular series back. Added plus- David Lapham sci-fi action is always welcome.

Dark Crisis

Armaan: This was a little weird for me on first read. Dark Crisis isn’t the most engaging read, and I completely forgot that the Justice League has been trapped in little “happiness bubbles”, Black Mercy style, to keep them from escaping and saving the world from all the Dark Crisis stuff.

I wish there had been a first page recap of this, or something, because it’s the premise behind the entire comic, and it wasn’t until I read this interview that I found that out. As I was reading it, I just thought it was just a random, tangentially-related Elseworld’s story. Knowing the premise changes its context in a huge way.

What’d you think of the issue?

Tony: In context, you’re completely right. It’s strange, and confusing. I know DC is adverse to the same sort of recaps Marvel does, but even just a one-page “pan-in” on a comatose Clark, or something like that would have helped immensely.

Out of context though, I loved this issue. This was the best Superman story of the month by far. Yes, I’m a sucker for Dad content, but there was something special about this one. Why is King spending so much time telling sad dad stories in Gotham? Tell happy dad stories in Metropolis!

Armaan: There’s some charming father-son stuff here. I’m in the camp that regrets Brian Michael Bendis having aged Jon up, and here we get to see a little glimpse of what life would have been like if Jon had grown up with Clark and Lois on the Kent farm. 

There’s an uneasiness I had while reading this, however. In this world, Darkseid is steadily conquering the rest of the galaxy, subjecting it all to bloody conquest. The cries of people desperate to be saved are heard by both Clark and Jon — but there’s apparently a truce that’s been put in place that keeps Earth safe as long as Clark never leaves the Earth’s jurisdiction.

Now, darker looks at Superman are a dime a dozen. But this isn’t presented as that. The way it’s laid out, Superman ignoring the cries of the universe is presented as being equally valid to Jon’s desire to head to war and save the innocent. Superman ignoring cries for help like that…it’s not a Superman that works for me. There are a lot of arguments to be made as to why it’s a legitimate choice to make – sensible, practical ones – but Superman to me has never been about the sensible, practical choices. He’s an impossible ideal, flying out there to achieve impossible things, that’s why I read Superman comics. I think there are also ways to ground Superman without making him someone who ignores the cries of people who need him for all of his life. 

Tony: I think in context, that makes sense about the plot. This is Clark putting the needs of the many ahead of the needs of the many more, and you can see the pain he’s struggling with. You made the Black Mercy comparison a minute ago. This is exactly that.

Superman has been given an impossible choice. Maybe in this case he made the wrong one. But without that context, how can anyone picking up this issue blind understand that. In the context of what’s happening in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, that will clearly be the part of this fake world that will make Clark break free. Without that, it just seems like King doesn’t get his lead character.

Armaan: For all of that, though, the end really got to me. There appears to be a part of Superman that realizes that this isn’t real. That he knows that these years he’s had with Jon were his chance to make up for the time he lost in the real world. He got to raise his son, to see Jon follow in his footsteps and then walk beyond. As a reader who mourns those lost years, seeing Superman get to experience them got me pretty good. 

Tony: Yep, I agree. Bendis set up great story possibility dominoes with that plotline. King is knocking them down.

Son of Kal-El and Webtoons

Armaan: Before we begin talking about the issue itself, I thought I’d ask — how much have you seen of Nicole Maine’s Dreamer on the Supergirl TV show? I’ve only seen her in a handful of episodes myself, I lost track of the series long before Dreamer made her debut and only checked in on the show sporadically.

Tony: Same actually. I’ve seen a few episodes and a bunch of clips. She seems interesting and I’m so happy she’s passionate about the character. The DCU needs more characters outside the legacies in general, and she’s a great start.

Also, good opportunity to plug our friend and colleague Cori McCreery’s interview of Maines and Taylor before the issue released.

Armaan: Dreamer’s appearance here was fun, and I’m definitely looking forward to the Dreamer graphic novel that Nicole Maines is working on, but as for this issue…I can think of no other word than “shoehorned” when it comes to describing the character’s debut. Her insertion into the story feels rushed, and awkward.

We’re given a considerable number of pages to a dark future that Dreamer has seen, and has come to warn Jon about. I’m not sure why we needed this many pages to establish Bendix as a threat — if the past twelve issues haven’t been able to do it, this isn’t really pushing things over the edge a whole lot. Even though Maines co-scripted the issue, it feels a lot like Taylor’s comfort with presenting alternate DC timelines where Extreme Stuff Makes Everything Dark.

Tony: Your first paragraph there just describes the Tom Taylor story in micro. And so does the second paragraph!

I’m glad Dreamer is officially in the prime DCU. I’m glad that there will be more of her, and that she’s a character that DCU editorial is ready to push. But man, do I wish the actual issue was better than this. It’s so bland and forgettable that I pretty much forgot every detail except “Dreamer has ill-defined energy powers just because.”

Armaan: I really enjoyed the art here, though. Our heroes are drawn pretty cute, and very expressive. I enjoy the energy that Clayton Henry brings to the page, and he’s backed up by very dramatic colors. The coloring adds a certain weight to Dreamer’s portents that the script just does not, it was the issue’s saving grace for me.

Tony: Henry is always a reliable line artist. He’s not remarkable but he’s good. I wish they hadn’t used someone that was so “house style” but he’s always a welcome presence.

Armaan: You’re the one who brought last week’s Webtoon to my attention — it’s a comic I love, but tend to read in chunks every few weeks or so, so I missed it. This was fun though. What I love about Webtoons is how much it captures the joy of the mundane stuff. The Kents and Alfred meeting for dinner, discussing their boys, admonishing them for eavesdropping — it’s the kind of thing you always want to imagine happening, but don’t often get a chance to see because in the regular comics superhero drama trumps cozy home-life comedy. 

Tony: I mentioned to you that we should talk about this gag strip because it came up in Son Of Kal-El in the last couple months, so I was glad you put it here in your notes!

Armaan: I put this in the same section as Son of Kal-El because I have always felt like Tom Taylor would love to write a comic in the style of Wayne Family Adventures. Nightwing has been filled with little scenes that would fit right in with that style…but I feel like it’s important to note why Taylor’s writing can sometimes irk me in a way that Wayne Family Adventures never has.

Wayne Family Adventures doesn’t stray too far from its own silliness…but the few times it does, for a more serious moment or even arc, it knows how to make it work. Tom Taylor doesn’t. Sillier moments, or deeply heartwarming moments, I’ve always loved in Taylor’s work. Every time, though, he strays to darker moments, or dramatic ones, it feels like he’s reaching for something he doesn’t quite have a good grasp on. 

Tony: Wayne Family Adventures is usually a trifle with good character work. It’s amazing that this cute little trifle of a comic executed a concept that Taylor introduced. Of course Alfred and the Kents would get in touch and become friends. And it makes SO much sense that if they did it, Bruce and Clark would absolutely know about it.

Daily Planet Headlines

• Giving Aquaman a back-up in a Superman book might seem weird until you remember he’s shared books with Clark more than once
• New Supergirl ongoing when?
• Let’s get a Kent Family Adventures Webtoon together DC!

Armaan Babu

Armaan is obsessed with the way stories are told. From video games to theater, TTRPGs to comics, he has written for, and about, them all. He will not stop, actually; believe us, we've tried.

Tony Thornley

Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.