“Savage Fate”
Creative Staff:
Story: Peter J. Tomasi
Art: Max Raynor
Colors: Luis Guerrero
Letterer: Rob Leigh
What They Say:
Here comes Vandal-Savage, here comes Vandal-Savage, right down Vandal Savage laaaaaane (what? He’s immortal! How do we know Santa Claus isn’t based on him somehow?) That’s right, a specter from our boys’ adventure in the past comes searching for them in the present courtesy of the immortal Vandal Savage! Can the super sons defeat him before he deals a killing blow to their friend Rora? And how can they save the Justice League from the DOOM SCROLL if they’re locked in combat elsewhere?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As the series moves further one and we get more comfortable with the characters, I find myself more and more enjoying the way Damian and Jon treat each other. Peter J. Tomasi obviously has the whole thing down well when it comes to how they interact but there’s just something extra that makes the whole thing feel even more natural and honest as it plays out, especially under pressure. And you can sympathize with both of them in how they have to deal with the other. Max Raynor also brings their expressiveness to life really well with some good facial expressions and just the body language in general, never mind how it looks when the fighting gets underway. It just has a good sense of sense and power as needed, particularly with Savage.
With Savage’s appearance at the end of the previous issue, we get a fairly standard face-off here as he’s got Rora by his knife and wants the Doom Scroll from the children. His thing of defeating the Justice League is something that has thwarted him for some time but the realization of how far back he’s known, as the boys coming back to the present triggered that for him, works really well. If he can stop the boys from the traps that are laid out for at least the remainder of those on it, it’ll work to his favor and he’s eager to have that happen. And he has the leverage as well with Rora in his hands. What he doesn’t have is Jon’s sense of theatricality as he starts spouting off with a hero’s speech that even Damian can’t stand to listen to one more time, resulting in him giving up the goods.
The back and forth between the two sides plays out well but with Damian giving up the scroll as part of his plan, well, it’s no surprise that Jon reacts as he does. The two work well together but they don’t plan well together since that’s just now how they operate. But there’s also enough trust overall so that when Jon does get clued in, it makes for a fun sequence as they manage to stave off Savage for the moment and save Rora. But what delights me is that Damian gets to do it while driving the Supermobile thing. I’ve been stupidly giddy since this thing debuted in the series because I loved the toy growing up and seeing it use its fist-action here just makes me love it all the more, even if it doesn’t get to take Savage down once and for all for this storyline.
In Summary:
Challenge of the Super Sons has them face off against Savage in the present and it goes better than it probably should have to a large degree. The boys have their own dynamic but Savage is still one of the big bads out there, though I like that his long life makes it so that he’s hampered a bit by it and the way his mind works. The nods to the past work well here and while we do get setup for the next hero that’s being threatened here, the focus is entirely on the moment where it needs to be. Hopefully, this isn’t the last of the supermobile either!
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: January 25th, 2021
MSRP: $0.99
