Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #5
Scheduled to arrive in stores: July 4, 2023
Cover date: September 2023
“Blood and Steel: The Injustice Saga”
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Clayton Henry
Cover: Clayton Henry and Marcelo Maiolo
Variant Covers: Jim Cheung and Jay David Ramos, Hayden Sherman, Zu Orzu
Reviewed by: Craig Boehmer
Jon meets with Batman and his team. Batman tells Jon how Superman fell from grace. Jon tells them this tragedy can not excuse his behaviors, the insurgents tell him he sounds like Lois. Harley tries to apologize for murdering him and his mother, but Jon refuses to forgive her. The scene then shifts to Damian and Clark, Damian has brought Jay to Clark to interrogate. Clark orders for his release, and then Damian tells him Jon is being tracked and is meeting with Batman. They decide that once Jon has left, they will attack Batman’s insurgents. Back in the secret hideout, Jon agrees to join the team, but must talk with someone first. After he leaves Superman and the Justice League attack Batman and apprehend his team. We then find out that Jon went to the Fortress of Solitude to listen to a recording from his mother. While there he discovers Martha and Johnathan are kept in the Fortress for their protection. We close with a public announcement from Superman showcasing the captured insurgents and their plan to imprison some, and execute Batman and Harley.
Story – 2: The Injustice Universe has to be one of the dumbest DC Elseworlds that exists in the multiverse. There are so many blatant issues with this book. For starters, Harley Quinn’s apology comes across as completely tone deaf and disgusting. “Sorry I murdered you and your mom, I thought it was a game and not real.” What does that even mean? Harley has murdered so many people, she even admits to it. This was a very poorly written attempt at dialogue with disgusting implications. In the exchange, Jon tells her she stood beside a monster, meaning the Joker, but lets be clear, Harley is a monster. Secondly, how can Batman support having Harley on the team, without her receiving any consequences for murdering one of Batman’s closest friends, Lois, and causing his best friend this much pain. Not only that, he provides her with regular access to superpowers. Batman, the brilliant detective, believes that Harley’s victims don’t deserve justice, she has murdered so many people, destroyed so many families, created so many orphans just like a young Bruce Wayne. But what is her reward? Batman provides her with pills to give her super powers. Why? With Superman, and Action Comics being so great right now, it is too bad that Jon Kent struggles to find a good story. Maybe it is time to just retire Jon Kent like DC did with Yara Flora. Maybe Jon just needs to be a background guy in the Superman Family, maybe DC wasted his storytelling potential on unsatisfying series like Legion of Superheroes, Son of Kal El, and Adventures of Superman.
Art – 2: The art continues to be ok. Nothing egregiously ugly is in this book, but it doesn’t grab the reader either.
Cover Art – 5: Awesome cover, our view focused on Jon’s anguish, with the intimidating Reign Superman peering from the background creates an awesome allure about the issue.
Variant Cover – 5: Even better than the main cover. Something about switching the blue for black on Jon’s suit makes it look so much better. I would love for his suit to permanently change to this color scheme.
Variant Cover – 5: Fantastic image. It is simple, but carries such a resonant emotion.
Variant Cover – 2: I don’t like Reign Superman’s design, and I do not like the style protrayed here.
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