Jon is pulled into a new conflict with a horror from his past in Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #1, by writer Tom Taylor, artist Clayton Henry, colorist Jordie Bellaire, and letterer Wes Abbott. As far as first issues go, this comic does a great job of grabbing readers right away.

On a wrecked Earth, a weakened Superman is killed by Ultraman. Meanwhile, on Earth-Zero, Jon luxuriates in having a private life, something Jay has lost, when he’s called into space to deal with satellites raining down. His powers fritz for a moment as someone asks him if he can hear him and tells him he’s coming. He calls Oracle to get help from the Titans to stop the satellites, but they’re not the only ones helping. He comes face to face with Val-Zod, who’s here to warn him, but only after he gets someone to vouch for him. At the Kent Farm, they meet Mister Terrific and Earth-2’s Red Tornado, who tell him that Ultraman has a weapon that kills Kal-Els, and they need Jon’s help to stop him, otherwise Ultraman will destroy his father and Earth won’t be far behind.

Taylor knows what he’s doing in this book, opening up with Ultraman. It’s good to show readers the stakes right away, and seeing Ultraman destroy a Superman is an excellent way to get readers interested. From there, it’s right to Jon, finally enjoying his life now that he has a secret identity again. Look, a lot of people still complain about Jon being aged up, but this Jon is a great character, and Taylor has done a wonderful job with him. Jon Kent could have been a cliche superhero, but Taylor has crafted him into something special, which this issue even talks about, as he doesn’t immediately attack Val-Zod. Jon was allowed to become something special, and that’s all on Taylor.

Jay gets a little showcase in this issue, angry that he has to hide who he is if he and Jon want to be out in public. It’s a fun scene right before everything gets serious. From there, things get pretty fast-paced. There are the satellites falling, his powers fritzing, the mysterious voice that is almost certainly Ultraman, and Val-Zod before readers get to the end. Taylor lays out the series’ premise, and it’s a doozy. This book will grab any fan of Jon’s and is a good jump on point for those who aren’t, even if the Earth-2 stuff may confuse readers a bit.

Henry has been drawing Jon on and off for a while, and this book shows it. He’s an old hand with the character and does a terrific job with something a lot of artists mess up. He makes Jon look young instead of just a smaller adult. The “new” costume debuts this issue, the one from Future State, and it’s kind of jarring for someone expecting the old costume. It’s still a pretty great costume, though. All in all, Henry and Bellaire do a brilliant job with the art, and it will be nice to see what they get to create next.

Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #1 is a pitch-perfect first issue. Taylor, Henry, Bellaire, and Abbott give readers a thrill ride that sinks its hooks into readers and dares them not to buy the next issue.

Grade: B+