Their first mission led to success, but also to grounding. Will Jon and Damian ever get out of the doghouse and be allowed to go adventuring again? Not if their dads have anything to say about it, they won’t… Your Major Spoilers review of Super Sons #5 awaits!
SUPER SONS #5
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artist: Alisson Borges
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in Super Sons: “The battle with Kid Amazo leaves Jon and Damian’s friendship in ruins as the boys decide their partnership isn’t working out! It’s a rumble between Superboy and Robin like you’ve never seen as the boys rage through the house Batman built!”
“I HAVE MET MY GREATEST ENEMY… BOREDOM.”
As our story opens, Damian Wayne is grousing loudly to Alfred about his grounding in the wake of the battle with Kid Amazo, remarking how unfair it all is and how he is a great blah blah blah. At the same time, Jon Kent is struggling with his parents’ decision to move to Metropolis and take up their own lives, while forcing him to stay under wraps. Both Super Sons actually have a point (especially if Clark-as-Superboy is still part of the continuity post-Rebirth), and Jon takes off in a huff to get away from his parents and give Robin a piece of his mind. Their conflict quickly turns into a fistfight, with batarangs flying in all directs and some of the ol’ Superboy punchy-punchy. When Alfred hears the commotion, he enters the cave and has to utter the best Alfred Pennyworth line in the character’s history: “Please step out of the dinosaur’s buttocks.” A quick pep talk from Alfred later, the boys realize that their fathers also had conflict early in their careers, and start to realize they’re more like their dads than they thought…
I LIKE THIS BATMAN
The highlight of this issue comes when Superman point-blank asks The Dark Knight who would win if they ever chose to fight, leading Batman to respond with a deadpan “Um, me.” The interactions of the parents are actually more fun than the main characters this issue (which may be a problem in the long run, to be honest), but the confrontation is a lot of fun. Alisson Borges’ art is strong, though there is a tendency for facial expressions to sort of blend into one another here and there. The combat layouts, on the other hand, are top-notch, and help to elevate the conflict where the sometimes pedestrian dialogue falls short. It’s nice to see someone call out the fact that Superman and Batman’s historical clashes are really childish, but in so doing, it makes Jon and Damian a little insufferable to read about.
THE BOTTOM LINE: A NICE RESPITE FROM THE ACTION
After the first arc of this series, we needed a break and the characters needed a reset (they couldn’t keep working behind their parents’ backs, what with the super-senses and detective skills and such, leaving Super Sons #5 with a better-than-average 3 out of 5 stars overall. Even if you don’t like Damian, don’t trust the writer or don’t understand whatever happened to Kon-El, this book makes for a nice read.
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