Review: Superman Vol. 1- Son of Superman
Quick Summary
Pros: Character development and action are at the centerpiece of this great start to the series. It also gives the reader a Superman filled with hope, optimism, and wonder, just like the fans wanted. It is also a great place for new fans to start reading Superman.
Cons: The Eradicator storyline started to feel a little old by the end, but not by much.
Overall: This is a wonderful start to what looks to be a great new series. This Superman is every bit as hopeful and inspirational as you would expect him to be. Plus this book gives two supermen for the price of one as Jon’s character development and growth is just as fun to watch as his father’s. Overall, this is a solid entry into the Superman legacy and a good sign for the Superman Rebirth series.
Story
If you thought that Superman stories were a thing of the past and that they couldn’t be interesting anymore, this one will prove that you are dead wrong. Superman Vol. 1: Son of Superman is an absolute delight for fans both new and old. It connects Superman’s intense past with the current comic’s continuity in a way that will surely be a real crowd pleaser. It also simply does a great job at telling a good story that involves both action and character development. Tomasi and Gleason are known for instilling long term character development over many story arcs, so I’m extremely excited to see where they go with the rest of this series.
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This volume really is the definition of what Rebirth was meant to be: a remembering DC’s vast legacy while still pushing into the future. It combines a ton of what made Superman into Superman for all the previous readers; things like being in love with Lois, being mature about his powers, and having a real sense of history behind him. While doing so it also opens the doors for new readers. This is the perfect place to start reading Superman for anyone who has never read him before. For example, new readers will not know who the Eradicator is but they will be on nearly the same page as veterans when seeing Superman and his son interact. This is what Rebirth is supposed to be and it seems like Tomasi and Gleason hit the nail on the head with that.
Part of what makes this volume great is the very thing that Tomasi and Gleason excel at in all of their stories, character development. Superman receives a ton of character development throughout this book as he learns how to be a dad to a super-powered son. While doing this he also is dealing with facing the fact that he might need to finally step out of the shadows and become a much larger part of this world. Superman isn’t the only one getting character development though, his son receives just as much, if not more so. Watching these two grow and develop together is delightful and is just what the Superman series needed.
A very minor complaint with this book would be how the Eradicator story dragged on a little bit. It felt like Tomasi and Gleason wanted to wrap up the story earlier but were simply trying to fill out the collected edition version. This led to the Eradicator being nearly defeated only to come back and do it all over again (somewhat like the Monitor in Crisis on Infinite Earths). Once again though, this is a very minor complaint and did not really effect the story much.
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Art
Tomasi and Gleason have been working together for a long time now, which plays into how good this comic looks. The art matches the content perfectly, in such a way where it becomes hard to imagine any other artwork for this book. They even match up other artists well in order to emphasize different tones throughout the book. For example, the first issue in this collection is a very somber remembrance of the fallen Superman. Gleason’s softer and brighter style would not really work for that so Doug Mahnke brings a darker and more realistic style to that particular issue. From there Gleason comes back to draw the Kent’s in the softer, brighter, and more hopeful way that he does. Overall, not only is the art good but it matches very well with the tone that the entire comic is trying to convey to the reader.
Continuity
Superman Vol. 1: Son of Superman is the first volume of the Superman Rebirth series. Rebirth is not a continuity reset at all; it is more of just a good jumping on point for readers. This means that, although there are stories that come before this, an in depth knowledge of Superman’s past is not really required to enjoy this series.
The story started here continues in Superman Vol. 2: Trials of the Super Son (Review).
This volume also references and continues the stories from other comic books, all of which are detailed below:
- The reason behind the pre-New 52 Superman existing in this post-Flashpoint world can be found in Convergence. However, their later interactions with this world can be found in Superman: Lois and Clark (Review).
- The death of the New 52 Superman is referenced here. This actually happens in Superman Vol. 2: Return to Glory (Review) but an easier way to read the entire story can be found in Superman: The Final Days of Superman. (Review).
- The death and revival of the pre-New 52 Superman is also referenced. His death is collected in Superman: The Death of Superman and his return to life is shown in Superman: The Return of Superman.
- Superman talks about meeting the Eradicator before. This happens mostly in Superman: Reign of the Supermen. This volume takes place after the death but before the return of Superman.
Collection Notes
Every issue in found in this collection can also be found in:
- Superman: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 1, which collects: