Superman: Son Of Kal-El #17
Jon and Clark’s reunion is marred by a new villain in Superman: Son Of Kal-El #17, by writer Tom Taylor, artists Cian Tormey and Ruairi Coleman, colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr., and letterer Dave Sharpe. This is a pretty good issue, building the story nicely.
The two Supermen race to Vega 3, where Jon has a problem telling his father about his bisexuality, leaving the planet. Clark talks to Pa Kent about the situation. In Metropolis, Red Sin fixes the design that he stole from Lex Luthor, setting his apartment building on fire with his first attack. Jon runs in to help, but his powers go on the fritz, and Red Sin bashes him with a chair as Jon calls on Clark. Clark takes his son to Justice League headquarters for medical help, and Jon comes out to his father. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor prepares his newest plan.
This is the issue where Jon comes out to Clark. Jon knows that Clark has to already know that he’s bi, but he struggles with it. On the one hand, if anyone is going to accept someone regardless of orientation, it’s Superman. Clark loves his son like nothing else, and he won’t judge him for being bisexual.
However, Jon’s fears can be looked at as valid, as even parents who seem like they’d be fine with it aren’t. It’s just weird that Taylor spends so much of the chapter playing with this plot. The readers all know where the story is going, so it’s not a shock. It’s fine, but it’s weird and predictable. Beyond that, the issue is pretty good, but there’s only a couple of pages of actual plot beyond the coming out stuff. It does work very well, though, even with the maybe ten pages of outside plot.
Tormey, Coleman, and Fajardo Jr. knock it out of the park again. The linework is beautiful, the character acting is wonderful, and the detail is impeccable. Fajardo Jr.’s colors are excellent as well. He gives the art a nice glossy feel, which truly brings it to the next level.
Superman: Son Of Kal-El #17 spends way too much time on a plot that everybody knows will work out, but at least Taylor moves the main story forward elsewhere. The art team of Tormey, Coleman, and Fajardo Jr. is brilliant and is definitely the highlight of the comic. It’s a good book, but some of the choices are mystifying.
