Tony Black reviews Superman #7…
“SON OF SUPERMAN” part 7! In this epilogue issue, Superman considers the toll his battles with the Eradicator and Doomsday have taken on his family and the need for a normal life. But can the Man of Steel ever take a day off?
SEE ALSO: Check out a preview of Superman #7 here
‘Our Town’ serves as a one-shot story which very much focuses on the eternal conundrum at the very heart of Superman – how much does he be the superhero protecting the world around him, and how much does he be the family man putting his wife and son first? After defeating the Eradicator and vindicating the existence of his boy Jon, Clark Kent continues his assimilation with wife Lois into the community around them of Hamilton County, a de-facto Smallville in all but name, and Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason here choose to take a breath and allow Superman a night off… almost.
There’s a sense of fun centering the entire issue almost around the Hamilton County fair, a big event which allows Clark to try and prove to Lois he can go a night without putting on the cape and flying off to save people – this after aiding an orbiting space station, and throwing in with his new Justice League friends briefly across the globe to help them out, including a grumpy & still clearly suspicious Batman. In doing so, Jorge Jimenez gets to deliver some truly stunning panels, filled with hazy colour and vibrancy which get across both the global travelogue and the homely Americana we see during the show. It’s quite fun and refreshing to see Clark hanging out with Lois & Jon, looking to get a job at the local paper, mixing with locals at a cow judging – and then the biggest threat being some low-down would be cash booth robbers. Issues like this are important at balancing the scales.
It’s just a really nice story for Superman, not ending on a giant cliffhanger or a dark portent of things to come – rather just an overarching gag between Clark & Lois, and a fun denouement moment which sells a gorgeous looking issue all about family, and the juxtaposition between it and being the hero looking out for the little man.
Rating: 8/10
Tony Black
Originally published October 4, 2016. Updated November 14, 2019.
