A Fan-Pleasing, Powerhouse Of A Debut Issue: Reviewing ‘Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent’ #1
by Olly MacNamee
Summary
As well as the welcome return of Jon Kent into his own title, ‘Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent ‘#1, is also a statement of intent from Tom Taylor, Clayton Henry, Jordie Bellaire and Wes Abbott. A comic book that gives DC Comic book fans a good deal of crowd-pleasing characters and dramatic moments that grabs you by the lapels and draws you in from the very first page. A must-read book if there ever was one. If you aren’t a Jon Kent fan yet, you will be after this powerhouse of a debut issue.
Overall
10/10With the plethora of multiverse stories DC Comics have committed to in recent years, some might say that yet another trip to other dimension is a trip too far. But, not when done right. And Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #1 by writer Tom Taylor and artist Clayton Henry is definitely done right. A well planned first issue that tickles every DC fans’ fancy with the inclusion of bad boy Ultraman, the return of Val-Zod from the grossly under-appreciated Earth-2 saga, and Jon Kent. A relatively new character in the DCU, but one with with an already rich history ripe for the plucking by Taylor, who weaves together fan-favourite characters to establish an explosive and entertaining plot from the get go.
It would seem that Ultraman’s latest wheeze is to kill off Superman. Not just one, but as many as he can track down across the multiverse. In the opening pages alone, Taylor manages to effortlessly establish Ultraman as a one hard-ass hombre, instantly launching him as a villain into another league. An antagonist worthy of his place against the likes of Lex Luthor, Brainiac and General Zod. It’s been a while since he’s been portrayed as such a threat and it suits him well. Swift in action and deadly in focus and intent.
And, if the writing wasn’t enough to make this one of the must-buy comics of the week, Henry’s art definitely makes this book hard to ignore. Smooth, slick and just a joy to soak up. The sight of a vulnerable Superman, seemingly shrunken against the mammoth skyscrapers of a desolate Metropolis on the first page is both striking and shocking. The follow up page, depicting a larger-than-life Ultraman, grinning with malice, closing in mercilessly in on Kal-El, is a perfect example of the skilful, powerful storytelling Taylor and Henry infuse into this whole issue. A comic book full of impactful, memorable moments like this.
Jordie Bellaire’s carefully considered colours really help set the tone and accentuate the drama at key moments to embellish on Henry’s already outstanding art. Page by page, the whole creative team build up the fan-pleasing moment as well as build up the coming threat of Ultraman.
What with the recent soft relaunch of both Action Comics and Superman, I, for one, am stoked that the whole Superman family are finally getting their moment to shine. It’s been a long time coming and a long time since one let alone three Superman books have made my pull list. What a time to be a Superman fan!
Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #1 is out now from DC Comics