Tony Black reviews Superman #5…
“SON OF SUPERMAN” part five! The Eradicator is unstoppable and it has forced Superman to leave Earth behind to keep his son from harm.”
SEE ALSO: Check out a preview of Superman #5 here
After launching away from Metropolis and away from Earth even, part five of the continuing ‘Son of Superman’ story sees Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason build to a major confrontation in this issue of Superman, between the man of steel and the Eradicator, but one which won’t necessarily go down in the way you may imagine. They seamlessly manage to infuse elements from previous Batman-lore which provide a genuinely surprising manner of taking the Eradicator on, and as this Rebirth run has previously demonstrated, find time amongst Jaime Mendoza’s glorious panels for some excellent continued character development, particularly where Jon’s difficult teenage transition to unlikely hero is concerned. It’s a strong issue with one of the run’s best balances of action and character work yet.
For a start, the moon base concept is a fantastic one and while being a comic newbie like me, I wonder exactly how Batman could have placed a backup Bat-cave on the moon, it’s not a problem enough not to enjoy concepts like the automated Bat drone sentries or the Hellbat mechanical costume, used here in the most surprising fashion. Mendoza draws it brilliantly, like a dark knighted version of Marvel’s Iron Man, and it adds to the twisted versions of a Superman-looking Eradicator fighting a robotic Bat-suit – just a great confrontation, extremely fun to watch in action. Tomasi & Gleason crucially manage to keep the central arc for Superman & his family in play; Lois remains protective over Jon, naturally in awe of their off-world surroundings, and Superman is determined to choose the venue of his battle to not just keep his family safe, but equally try and protect the Kryptonian souls who the Eradicator has consumed.
It continues to centre that conflict between Superman’s loyalty to his origins and the overpowering love he has for his family which always takes precedence, and ensuring Jon doesn’t become too powerful too soon. It’s also good to see a continued uncertainty about the Justice League & Superman’s relationship with them, which no doubt is going to come to head at some point down the road. The Eradicator’s racially pure message does begin running out of steam by the climax but how the issue ends suggest a potentially rousing finish on approach for this story arc very soon.
All in all, one of the strongest issues yet in a great Rebirth run for Superman. Tomasi & Gleason continue building the character work between this most unusual family dynamic, keeping the central themes of why Superman does what he does, and how it affects those he loves, alongside some excellent panels and a story which gets to his Kryptonian roots. As this story arc begins building to a presumed climax, let’s hope Superman keeps on being super.
Rating: 8/10
Tony Black
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Originally published August 19, 2016. Updated November 14, 2019.
