Even a Superman needs help from a more street-level hero every now and again, no matter how much their methods may vary, and something both father and son are both aware of in this monthâs Superchat!
Jon Kent and Dick Graysonâs team-up continues as they investigate The Rising in Superman: Son of Kal El #9, written by Tom Taylor, penciled by Bruno Redondo, inked by Bruno Redondo and Wade von Grawbadger, colored by Adriano Lucas and lettered by Wes Abbott.
Up in Warworld, Midnighter abandons the Superman approachâbut ends up inspiring rebellion in Supesâ name, nonetheless. Action Comics #1041, written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, drawn by Dale Eaglesham and Will Conrad, colored by Lee Loughridge, and lettered by Dave Sharpe.
Armaan Babu: Itâs a nice father-son week on Superchat. Clark and Jon donât get to interact, of course, nor do their stories have a lot in common with each other, but reading these side by side, itâs fun to get that âMeanwhile, up in Warworld,â thing as the both of them continue to work to inspire people as Superman. Howâre you enjoying this weekâs selections, Tony?
Tony Thornley: My goodness Armaan, the Superman titles are always such a light in tough weeks and these last two issues have been no exception.
Trust Falls Off Skyscrapers
Armaan: Iâve said it before and Iâll say it again; Nightwing is at its best when Taylor, Redondo and Lucas are just allowed to play, and this crossover is bringing a lot of that energy to Superman: Son of Kal El in this opening. Nightwing and Superman have both been superheroing for a fairly long time (though trying to think about how long is enough to give even the most avid tracker of continuity a headache), and they both know the routine well enough to have a little fun with it. Thereâs the graceful, mechanically brilliant way Nightwing takes out the henchman, a Redondo specialty; thereâs the banter, but my absolute favorite bit is the way Nightwing falls as heâs thrown off a buildingâhis hands behind his head, relaxed as a hero can be, casually watching Superman swoop in. Jon doesnât even have to save him, he just over-the-shoulder tosses Nightwing his escrima stick/grappling hook for Nightwing to just glide on back in at his convenience.Â
Itâs the easy trust they have in each other that makes this so much fun. You donât see superheroes getting to revel in what they do; itâs nice to see every once in a while.
Tony: These first few pages are just an absolute delight as far as the superhero side of it goes. I would really like Taylor to cut loose like this a lot more. The opening is fantastic and this entire issue keeps it up.
Armaan: As it turns out, the pair were perhaps more confident than was warranted. Bendix still, despicably, has complete control over every member of his Rising. He uses the one captured member to deliver Superman a message before making the poor henchman self-destruct in Jonâs hands. Jon shields Nightwing, in the nick of timeâŚbut is forced to confront, once again, that he canât save everyone.
Itâs painful to watch. Especially for a Superman, for someone who is capable of so many seemingly impossible things. People have tried to limit Superman in so many waysâkryptonite galore, magic, psychic manipulationâbut forcing a Super to recognize that people will die no matter how hard he tries to stop it has got to be the most painful of all.
Tony: I think thatâs ultimately going to be what Bendix is able to do against Jon. None of these metas are going to be powerful enough to take on a Kyrptonian, and I have a feel that Jon will eventually recruit Kara, Conner and maybe even Clark to help. But the emotional toll and the public opinion⌠Those will both be much harder battles for Jon. And I enjoy the fact that this issue knows that, and leaves it a bit open ended.
Armaan: I really enjoyed what followedâafter a quick heart to heart with Lois Lane (more Lois Lane in comics, please), Dick just sits down with Jon and they talk about being legacy characters. The weight of expectations, the imposter syndrome thatâs got to feel especially strong when youâre wearing someone elseâs signature costume. And how much Jon looks up to Nightwing.
Itâs moments like these that are what made Taylorâs various Elseworlds stuff so dear to me, especially in Injusticeâforging these positive, familial connections between superheroes who have known each other for years, the kind of connections that everyone knows must exist but are rarely made time for on the page.
âCourse, Dick Grayson isnât the only one who cares about Jon, as we get a comedy of errors triggered by Jay walking through a wall, leading to much yelling and everyone practically fighting each other to be the one to protect Jon. Itâs a mite over the top, but funny enough to work. This crossover was sweet (as a lollipop, one might say), and while it ended abruptly, Iâm glad it exists.
Tony: Yeah, it was abrupt, but open ended in a way that I think is going to be fun to weave through both books later. I have to think Dick Grayson and Jon Kent are going to be interacting a lot over the next few months, between Dark Crisis and this storyline. Iâm excited for that.
Iâm also incredibly curious about Loisâs role with The Truth. Dick offered her a job. Is she leaving the Planet? Is she going to leverage both? Thatâs going to be fascinating to see grow coming out of this issue.
Midnighter, and Killing the &*%@ Out of People
Armaan: Yâknow, Iâve never been entirely sold on Midnighterâs inclusion on a team handpicked by Superman. Midnighterâs a killer. Thatâs what he does. Itâs about as anti-Superman as superheroing gets. But this issue? This issue sold me, I had a blast, and Dale Eaglesham on art is the perfect fit. I know Eagleshamâs work best from the most recent Secret Six series, and I gotta say, no one balances humor, gruesome violence and superheroic weirdness quite like he does.
There have been a bunch of artist switches in this saga, but more often than not, the art has really matched the tone of the story being told. Even in this issue, when the art switches over to a more classic style, itâs about the time that Superman comes back into the picture – shifting the story itself to a more classic tone.
Tony: Iâd really like this book to get a consistent artist, and I know Eaglesham is probably not it, but his work was so welcome here. This issue just ruled. Weâve been wanting a bit more of a rebellion for the last few issues, and we finally got it.
Midnighter needed to be a part of the team to do the things the others werenât willing to. Warworld proved that, and in this issue it means a bloody rebellion. I think this might be the most graphic violence a Superman story has ever had, but I think thereâs an important distinction here. Midnighter is the only one being that violent. Kal-El is inspiring them (without even being present) to be better than that. Even through the violence, this is Superman distilled down to the ideal- which has been the theme of this run. Weâve talked about it several times.
I love that we donât get Clark on page (outside of flashbacks) until the final page of the issue. Superman needs to be the myth before the battle of the rebellion is fully joined. While I donât totally love the design, it has the impact it needs to. This is Superman, in full glory.
Gah, I loved it.
Armaan: Iâve also been loving how grumpy Midnighter is here. Heâs trapped in a Superman story, no matter how hard he pushes back against it. Trapped on an alien world of warmongers who believe in violence above strength, using his skills to save his boyfriend and kill anyone who gets in his path? In many ways, this should be Midnighterâs time to shine, but everywhere he turns, itâs Supermanâs ideals that shine brightest, itâs Supermanâs stories that everyone cares about. By the simple fact that heâs doing good, Midnighter himself is being compared to Superman, and itâs really, really funny how grumpy he is about all that.
With Superman free and ready for action, though, in all his gladiatorial glory, it seems like weâre heading to an end to this saga – or perhaps just this arc of it – pretty soon, and I canât wait to see how itâs resolved.
Metropolis Musings
- I still think the thing Jonâs book is missing is more of Clarkâs supporting cast. Jimmy would be GREAT in this book.
- A Conner/Jon/Kara long term team-up book would be one thing that the DCU could really use.
- Retellings of classic Superman stories as legends with the details sawed off? Thatâs very cool, I would love to see a book of classic DC stories just written as myths and fables.
- âThis lot shoulda known betterâ is a fantastic battle cry. Right up there with âItâs clobbering time!â as far as Iâm concerned.
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 is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. Heâs also very humble.
