By Dustin Cabeal

Hey, there’s the Damien that everyone knows and despises or at the very least loves to despise. The first issue of Super Sons was shockingly good. You might think after an opening sentence like that, that the second issue manages to disappoint, but you’re wrong. Read the review, find out why.

The boys come face to face with Lex Luthor, and we see that Damien is still a piece of shit when he throws Jon off the building and informs Lex that he can’t fly. Very interestingly, Lex catches Jon. They play a game of cat and mouse, and Jon is quick to figure out that he’s just being used as a distraction. Damien is infiltrating Lex’s secret lab. There’s, of course, a double con because Damien is a mini-Batman even if he constantly wants to be told he’s better than Batman. The boys head off on another adventure that will likely have them come face to face with the psycho boy shown in the first issue, who has dubbed himself “Kid Amazo.” Lotta kids are running around in this series apparently.

Damien is an annoying little shit again, but it’s fantastic writing from Peter J. Tomasi because it makes you sympathetic towards Jon. Especially when Jon figures out, he’s just being used and wants to leave. He doesn’t though and neither would you. Damien is the only other kid on the planet that truly gets what he’s going through and that’s important to remember. He’s the fucking kid of Superman and Damien is the son of Batman, try living in those shadows and see if you don’t put up with kit-Batman’s shit once and a while. It also makes you sympathetic towards Damien because everyone’s meet someone like him, he’s just trying too hard to make a friend and maybe even trying to get out from his father’s shadow.

The story is a bit flashy still, but hopefully, the writing will settle down after the first arc and get some more character development going. The cliffhanger to this issue is perfect, even though its 100% expected. What’s more curious about it, is how the story will continue afterward.

The artwork is still the star of the show. Jorge Jimenez has shades of Humberto Ramos but is bringing his own style. What’s underappreciated about his artwork is the designs. Sure, it’s Superboy with a New 52 flair and Robin in pants. If you look harder, though, you’ll see that Damien’s suit is not only well kept, but expensive looking; this is a huge difference in Jon’s clothing with his homemade shirt and cape and old jeans. Why old jeans? Probably because he doesn’t want anything to happen to his good jeans. Going a step further this visual difference makes Jon more relatable to kids because it’s easier to dress up as Jon. The art does add some interesting questions about how kids perceive heroes and maybe even some class questions arise from these two characters and how they’re being brought up.

This issue isn’t perfect, but it is by far one of the most entertaining series that DC is publishing. It’s also a book that only works at DC. If Thor and Iron Man’s kids were running amok together, they wouldn’t come across nearly as parental or iconic. Robin and Superboy are iconic on their own, and these new versions of them prove just that.

Score: 4/5

Super Sons #2
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artist: Jorge Jimenez
Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Publisher: DC Comics