Superman: Son Of Kal-El #10
Lex Luthor has a press conference about Superman as a natural disaster strikes in Superman: Son Of Kal-El #10, by writer Tom Taylor, artist Cian Tormey, colorist Federico Blee, and letterer Dave Sharpe. Taylor and company build an entertaining story with a couple of big moments.
Lex Luthor gives a press conference to smear Jon’s time as Superman. Instead of being there, he’s in Ireland as a natural disaster strikes. The effects of Luthor’s conference are felt immediately as already people have less trust in Superman. He still saves the day, proving that he’s a hero one person at a time. At the press conference, Lois Lane comes out of the crowd to defend her son, giving a more truthful account of the battle against the undersea leviathan and the dead Gamorran “heroes” and plays her hole card- she offers Luthor the Lasso of Truth to hold as she questions him at the conference. He leaves, and she takes over, ready to answer questions. At the Kent home, Jon comes out to Lois with predictable results- she loves her son no matter what. Batman shows up, warning them about the danger they’re in at their home before taking them to a Justice League safehouse when he drops a bombshell that changes everything for the Kent family.
Taylor has been proving that he’s a great Superman writer throughout this series, and in this issue, he writes a great Lex Luthor. Luthor is at his best when he’s a fake good guy, and this issue has that in full view. Luthor using his bully pulpit against Superman is nothing new, and the way he twists Jon’s action is classic Luthor. Taylor makes Luthor into a right-wing political type for this little speech, playing Jon’s activism as a bad thing and twisting the truth to make him look bad. Lois showing up later in the issue is also great because she pulls some classic Lois Lane moves- basically being the smartest person in the room and using it against Luthor.
If anything is disappointing about this issue, it’s Taylor having Jon do the cliche Superman thing instead of something more exciting. It makes sense to an extent- Superman saves people who don’t trust him to win back that trust, but the situation feels a little convenient. This is Superman’s book, so he has to do something, but it could have been more exciting or something that would have been a ploy of Luthor and Bendix’s to make him look bad. The coming out to Lois moment is played nicely because, really, who expected Lois to be anything but loving towards his son? Batman showing up is great, with Taylor fitting in a great joke about how Batman was able to get past Jon’s senses. The last panel drops a bomb on readers that will play nicely into the future.
Tormey’s art in this book is pretty great. He does some wonderful character acting with Luthor and Lois, really making those scenes pop. There’s a great panel where Jon is saving everyone where his eyes are glowing, and he looks so very menacing as if the reader is looking at him through the eyes of people who don’t trust him. Later in the book, one of the Gamorrans working for Luthor grabs Lois and the next page sees Jon drop in. It’s a great image, a powerful image. The coming-out scene looks perfect as well. Blee’s colors work very well for the book, a bright palette that is hopeful and menacing when it needs to be.
Superman: Son Of Kal-El #10 is a fun issue. Taylor fits in some great Luthor and Lois moments and handles the coming-out scene well. The action in the chapter could be better, but it does make sense for the story. It’s just getting a little stagnant that Jon is so pacifistic in this book. Superman isn’t just about the big fights, but it would be nice if there was more action. Tormey and Blee supply some excellent art, capturing the emotion of the events therein as well as selling the big moments. All in all, another fine issue.
