Rules? Pffft.
Creative Staff:
Story: Peter J. Tomasi
Art: Jorge Jimenez
Colors: Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: Rob Leigh
What They Say:
“When I grow up” part one! The sons of Batman and Superman have graduated to their own monthly comic-but if they want to survive, they’re going to have to share it! Writer Peter J. Tomasi (BATMAN & ROBIN, SUPERMAN) teams with rising-star artist Jorge Jimenez (EARTH 2) to bring you the adventures of the World’s Smallest. This debut issue looks at the lives of Robin and Superboy and their destiny to follow in their fathers’ footsteps, while we meet a new villain whose ascension parallels the boys’ own understanding of their powers-except that he believes it’s his right to rule over every being on the planet!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With the Rebirth event having been going on for quite a few months now, DC Comics has brought a lot of properties back to the forefront and snuck in a few new things along the way as well. One of those is the Super Sons series that comes from writer Peter J. Tomasi, a longtime staple of the publisher that has done many great books, with artist Jorge Jimenez. This series obviously focuses on the offspring of two of the flagship characters of the publisher but it makes for an interesting reading depending on where you’re coming from. I’ve been familiar enough with Damian over the years to be able to connect with it well enough but I’ve been thoroughly disengaged from the Superman books once Flashpoint finished up and am largely unfamiliar with Superman and Lois’ son Jon, though I got a sample of it in the Trinity book.
Tomasi has launched many books before and knows what needs doing and we get a solid enough look at both young men here so that we know the basics even if we’re completely unfamiliar with them. Damian is someone who has been trained since birth to take on big things and his time with Bruce Wayne has him frustrated because he wants to do so much more but keeps being limited by him. We know he could have gotten doctorates at seven, has been driving since he was five, and is just a top tier human specimen in many ways. But he’s the kind of cocky kid that you’d expect for his age and knows everything about everything and has no problem showing that off. You’d imagine that without the physical abilities that he has that he’d be bullied pretty regularly because that kind of confidence is grating.
Jon, on the other hand, is struggling with his place in the world because he has to be restrained as his parents don’t want him doing anything at the moment. Well, that’s not exactly true. They want him to develop the same kind of moral center that they have and to live up to the Superman name, hence living three hundred miles from Metropolis in Hamilton, having him going to a small school and spending time with friends, and working hard to not use his abilities. He’s still growing in the powers department, such as not being able to fly yet, but he’s on the right path. It’s easy to like Jon as he has a certain charm about him that’s relaxed and friendly but there’s also a sense that he can be drawn into doing things by other influences as he’s not really his own man yet, which again is no surprise at his age.
So it’s amusing in that we have Damien coming out to Hamilton in disguises to check up on him and cause a little trouble, such as a bus driver or a substitute teacher, but these serve well to showcase the talents that Damien has as well as how he inserts himself into a role smoothly. At the same time we see Jon’s school life and how he really does like it to a large degree – and that bothers Damien as he knows the two of them should be doing great things. Which he does finally get him to do toward the end as they sneak off to Metropolis to investigate something only to run into a particular wall that’s going to give them trouble. The dynamic between the two boys is definitely solid and fun, though I’m way as to how much of Damien that I could take after a while, and the book sets a very strong tone about it so that you know you’re going to get something that will mix a good bit of humor, action, and darker edges to it.
In Summary:
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book considering my awkward relationship with the two leads and general lack of Superman knowledge these days. But the end result was a very fun book that has me curious to see where it can go and could serve as a replacement for Gotham Academy for me. Tomasi knows what he’s doing and I’ve got a lot of faith in him but the story is totally elevated by Jorge Jimenez’s artwork here. There’s such a dynamic look to so much of it with what it does that it’s really great to watch unfold, both through the panel layouts and the placement of the characters and some of the exaggerated elements. Combined with the bold colors from Sanchez that stand out even more digitally, it’s a vibrant and engaging book that just clicks from practically page one and has you wanting more before it’s over.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: February 15th, 2017
MSRP: $2.99
