SuperChat Returns with Action Comics #1036 and Son of Kal-El #5

Two Supermen, two worlds to save. Though they’re separated by galaxies, both Clark and Jon Kent have taken on the fates of entire planets into their hands – but not even Supermen can get by without a little help from their friends.

Kal-El and the Authority knew they were in for a tough time on Warworld, but what they find there takes them all by surprise, in Action Comics #1036, written by Philip Kennedy Johnson, drawn by Daniel Sampere, colored by Adriano Lucas and lettered by Dave Sharpe.

Back on Earth, Jon Kent’s powers have been supercharged by Bendix in an attempt to overwhelm the young superhero with the cries of all who need him. Superman: Son of Kal-El #5, written by Tom Taylor, drawn by John Timms, colored by Hi-Fi and lettered by Dave Sharpe. 

Armaan Babu: Oof. It’s been a bad few weeks. I’m not ashamed to admit it, Tony, “Fear State“ knocked me out. Scarecrow toxin is no joke. But after a week of nightmarish horrors around every corner, I’m ready for a nice, hopeful, peaceful look at…Warworld? 

Oh no. 

Tony, what have we gotten ourselves into?

Tony Thornley: We take a few weeks off for a variety of reasons, and we come back to this? Holy cow. These are probably the two meatiest issues of comics that I think we could have possibly gotten. I think they also cover the dichotomy of Superman incredibly well- how Superman reacts at his lowest, and at his height.

So at that, where do you want to start? Action or Son of Kal-El?

Armaan: There you are with the difficult questions. How about we catch up with what’s happening on Earth before heading back out to the stars?

Tony: To Metropolis we go!

Living Up To Expectations (Superman: Son of Kal-El #5)

Armaan: So this was an issue that’s been heralded for quite some time. As big as the moment is, though, in the overall scheme of things, it was a relatively minor moment in the issue itself. What takes up most of #5 is Jon having to deal with his powers being ramped up by an attack from supervillain president Bendix of Gamorra. It’s not often a villain’s main plan of attack is super-charging their enemy, but it seems to be quite an effective distraction. Jon’s super-hearing is what’s bothering him most – specifically, the cries of everyone around the planet who’s in need of his help.

Tony: I actually liked this. It reminded me quite a bit of how we see Clark react to Red Kryptonite, but without the adverse side effects. I get why Taylor didn’t go with Red-K, because then we couldn’t see Jon accomplish what he does throughout the issue. That did make me wonder, though, have we ever seen Jon exposed to Kryptonite? That’s a story thread that I think we need to explore.

Armaan: I have a…vague recollection of it happening, I don’t think too big a deal was made of it, though. 

What this issue puts me in mind of, more than anything else, is JLA’s “Pain of the Gods” story arc. The Justice League takes some time to acknowledge and talk through the trauma they go through on a daily basis – near death experiences, witnessing the deaths of others, the guilt of not being able to save everyone and the necessity of taking the time to prioritize oneself despite knowing that thousands may die because you slept. It’s a horrific responsibility, when you think about it, and with Jon’s super-hearing it’s a responsibility that’s that much harder to ignore. 

Tony: You know, I don’t know that I’ve read that story. I may have to look it up now. It sort of does have that side of it- what happens when you can’t save everyone? And since no one really could, how does Jon Kent accept that?

Armaan: One thing here that I found myself missing is to what extent Jon already completely feels like Superman in this issue. He’s younger, yes, but there’s an assertiveness to his voice and body language that highlights just how much of his growing up we’ve missed – he’s pretty much already an adult. It’s in the way he talks to the Flash, asking for his aid, with all the authority of Superman, and the knowledge that he can approach his Justice League friends and completely trust in them to help, no questions asked. The way he takes his time to be kind.

I do not like that Bendis robbed the fans – and the Kents – of Jon’s childhood, aging him up over in Action Comics. Taylor seems to be running with it, especially as his heroes tend to be more shining examples of perfection than usual, which is great for the darker, alternate worlds Taylor got famous for, but man, I really want to see Jon go through a bit of a learning curve before being this Supermanny. That’s what I hoped to see from a younger Superman learning the ropes, and I wanted it to such an extent I was almost relieved when Jon accidentally broke someone’s arm during a rescue due to his exhaustion.

On the other hand, Jon is filling up big boots. He’s not a Superboy – he’s a legacy Superman. And legacies tend to have a lot less room for error, it feels like. Do you wish Jon was making a few more mistakes too, Tony, or is it just me? 

Tony: You make a great point here. I feel like the issue makes the point really well that Jon has a good heart, and he’s trying his best. But the lesser point, one it tries to make and is less successful at, is that he needs to be living for more than just other people. Clark knew that he needed to have that balance, and lived with it. But Jon, not as much.

That’s a long way of saying, yes. We need to have a bit more of Jon Kent growing up. We need a few more mistakes (outside of accidentally leaving bridges in the middle of the street), and Jon actually earning that confidence. That was one thing I liked about the Kesel/Grummett Superboy run. It was about Conner Kent (yes, before he picked that name) growing up with that legacy. Sometimes he was the perfect successor to his big brother. Sometimes he fell short. And sometimes he completely fucked up.

Armaan: Y’know, that’s something that I’m going to have to look up now, I like the sound of that.

Tony: The first collection goes on sale on Comixology every time DC does one of the big mega sales. It’s one of my favorite 90’s series, even if some of the slang is extremely dated.

Jon falling asleep for 9 hours isn’t enough of that. This goes back to something we said with a past issue – Taylor’s trying to do too much. He needs to sit back and build the story a lot more organically, because when the pacing feels organic, I think this series is actually pretty good. Which leads to the big moment of the issue.

Armaan: Yes – the big moment that had been announced much before this issue released; Jon’s kiss with Jay Nakamura. That big, one page reveal that the world now has a queer Superman. It’s a pretty significant moment, and better writers than me have talked about that significance, but now that it’s here – what did you think of the scene itself?

Tony: The pacing was a bit weird, as I felt the kiss was kind of sudden. But Timms and Hi-Fi do a really great job with the big splash page. It was just such a subtle moment that I think success or failure of it will depend on the follow-up. If Taylor does it right moving forward, hopefully with the help of a sensitivity reader, I think it’s going to be really pretty solid. But it could fail so easily.

Armaan: If Taylor’s handling of Aerie and Wink are any indication – not to mention the lead-up to the kiss itself – I think this is a romance that’s going to play things about as safe as they could possibly be. Which is…fine, I guess. I might be being nitpicky here, but I do prefer romances that have just that bit of awkwardness about them, that lack of surety. What we get is pretty cute, though, and I’m glad, for Jon’s sake, that he has that moment of calm in the chaotic storm that is his life. Jay understands Jon, and what Jon’s going through, and is somehow very capable of being a good support for a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

Now someone please just tell me how he can walk through walls, too.

Tony: Clearly he’s DC’s Kate Pryde. I do hope we get a substantial follow-up though, just as you said.

Mister Kent Goes To War (Action Comics #1036)

Armaan: This issue blew me away.

Tony: No kidding! Just an astonishing issue.

Armaan: There’s been a lot of hype for the Warworld Saga, we’ve been building up to this for quite a while, so it’s the most joyous of surprises to me that this issue not only lived up to the hype but went up, up and away with them all. I don’t even know where to begin, so let’s take a cue from the comic itself and start with that Durlan garden scene.

We’ve both loved the work Daniel Sampere has been doing to humanize the Super-family in the past few issues. Body language, facial expressions, positioning – beautiful, all of it. Here, though, we see him get to go all out on an alien garden bathed in moonlight, while also setting the stage for Adriano Lucas to do the same. These opening pages are nothing short of magical. Lucas’ vivid colors truly make the beauty of this garden as breathtaking as it is alien. The Eternal Gardens of Valduril have quite the lovely collection of bioluminescent lights, and if there’s one surefire way to enchant me, it’s to fill a nighttime scene with a gorgeous decoration of light.

Tony: This scene, among others, has me convinced that Sampere and Lucas are on their way to becoming one of DC’s top art teams. It is just fantastic, and feels like it’s pulled directly from the best sorts of space operas- ones just as full of literal world building as they are of spaceships. Not even the ugly new Durlan designs can tear me away from how great this looks.

Armaan: If only the magic could stay.

This idyllic scene of a high-ranking Durlan penning a farewell to his planet is interrupted by the news that Superman and his allies are mounting a rescue mission. Who they’re rescuing is of particular note, this seemingly kindly old statesman turns wildly violent at the very mention of the Phaelosians, and the contrast is chilling. This prologue scene really took its time to build up that contrast, with one heck of a payoff. The garden is soon burning, as the kindly Lord Premier practically breathes fire himself in his attempt to bury even a whisper of the word deep beneath his rage. 

As far as I can remember, there’s been no mention of why anyone would find the mere existence of the Phaelosians to be so controversial. There’s a mystery here, and this prologue scene did a very effective job of making it feel like the secret at the heart of this could tear the universe apart.

How did this scene grab you?

Tony: Outside of hating the new Durlan design (I loved the classic, and the Barry Kitson redesign for the threeboot Legion improved it slightly by making the shape changing aliens more featureless in their natural form), I thought this was exactly the prologue we needed. We knew there was a mystery to the Phaelosians. The Durlan president’s reaction to their existence showed us that the mystery should be something that frightens us. What is their secret and what about it prompted a peaceful being to react so violently?

Armaan: Prologue done, we move on to Superman and the Authority themselves. The easy camaraderie of superheroes waiting for a mission to begin is interrupted by their first look at Warworld itself. And Warworld is burning. 

At first glance, it’s hard not to compare it to Apokolips – it’s even got its version of circular fire pits across the planet’s surface. There’s one stark difference, though, that Superman helps to explain to the Authority as they watch missiles explode across the sky. Where Apokolips’ “lowlies” are a subjugated populace, half stripped of their will, the people of Warworld are, well, at war. Even though their loyalty is to whichever Mongul is in charge, there’s always someone to fight, someone to kill, someone whose death, they believe, adds strength to their own.

This is a world where the dead are not buried, but displayed proudly as trophies (as illustrated by one particularly gruesome moment that left me gasping), as warnings, as symbols of strength. A forgotten Warworld king hangs above the planet as a warning to all outsiders – “So say the dead.” After all the Warworld build-up, what do you think of the place now that we’re actually here?

Tony: I’ve read other Warworld stories before. Hell, “Panic in the Sky” is probably the most underrated Superman epic of the 90’s, eclipsed by and forgotten because of “Death of Superman” just a year or so later. This is the first time that Warworld scared me.

This isn’t a dystopia. This is hell brought to life, ruled by a violent fascist that feels unique amongst all other comics villains. I instantly hated what I was seeing and was transfixed by it.

Armaan: “Panic in the Sky”? Adding that to my list of reads to catch up on. Here, though, there’s been a lot of thought that’s been put into Warworld here – a lot of lore (some of which doesn’t even get explained on-page), and if the art wasn’t so danged spectacular I might really enjoy reading a novelized version of this; I think “transfixed” is a perfect way to put it. Or even an encyclopaedia of some sort, showcasing art and diving deeper into this world’s lore. 

But even then I’d miss out on the book’s fantastic lettering. The artists aren’t the only ones being given the freedom to let loose here. Dave Sharpe is the final piece of what makes this a real blockbuster comic. It’s not just the unique font and speech bubbles that some of the book’s villains get, though that deserves a mention for how well it sets their tone. The sound effects here have all the roughness you need, violent vibrations that make the page seem to shake. The “doomdoomdoom” drumbeats outside the arena, the hiss of a lantern shattering, the simple, grand “tthooomm” of the head of Mongul’s statue hitting the arena floor – a statement in itself as a prologue to Superman’s attempted inspiring speech.

Tony: Yeah, absolutely. The entire team just nailed this issue, but Sharpe did an outstanding job. Lettering is often a pretty thankless job, but he does some really great things here.

Armaan: There’s a lot of push and pull here between the seemingly endless depths of Superman’s compassion and the world that sees kindness as weakness, that would burn it all down. At times, it’s easy to see Superman through the eyes of the warzoons – the planet’s citizens. How Superman’s words, inspiring as they’d be on Earth, feel like they show a fundamental misunderstanding of the warzoons’ mindset. Superman’s most important power is his ability to inspire, and much like his other powers have been, his ability to inspire might just be diminished on this world as well. 

If this is a war of ideals, then it’s one heck of a move on the villain’s part to show that Superman’s supposed strength is nothing but an illusion put up by the Enchantress – but the magic can’t stay. I like the reveal that the Enchantress has been boosting his powers. We get the white streak of hair tying this Superman in with the one in Superman & The Authority. More than ever, Superman needs to rely on more than his strength in this saga. I have no idea how he’s going to save the day here, and I’m absolutely hooked to find out.

Tony: Agreed. This is absolutely set up to show Superman at his lowest, fighting to overcome impossible odds. And we already saw one possible outcome of that, with Superman’s “Future State” story showing him still battling for the freedom of Warworld.

Do I have any doubt that Clark Kent will prevail? No, and not just because of the cyclical state of comics storytelling. This is Superman. His hope in the face of overwhelming odds, his optimism as he faces villains and monsters, his strength against forces more powerful than him… That is what makes him great.

He’s the ultimate force for good in the DC Universe. The thing that I think I like the most about this story is that he’s not just facing an ultimate evil. Mongul isn’t Darkseid. He isn’t a force of nature like Doomsday. This is a fascist and sadist who revels in violence for violence’s sake. That makes him a unique threat, and already Clark has underestimated him. That cost him immediately.

Dammit, I’m excited for this story. It’s just so unique in the Superman canon. I really can’t figure out where it’s going to go next.

Daily Planet Headlines

• There are very few characters who actually have enjoyable, wordy captions about how their powers work, but the Supermen are definitely one of them.
• Apollo is having trouble with a more 3-dimensional chess board, nobody tell the poor man that we’ve gone 5D.
• The Enchantress is the secret hero of this issue. Not only was she faking Super-powers, she was also doing so while manifesting and navigating a magic ship through space. Not one to be underestimated, her!
• Jimmy Olsen and Guardian deserve a spin-off series. If we’re not getting a Fraction/Lieber sequel series, we at least deserve this.
• Did Mongul feel like AOA’s En Sabah Nur to anyone else?
• Really looking forward to Jon encountering some classic Superman rogues, starting with Lex in the upcoming annual.