Adventures of the Super Sons #2: Red vs. Blue

Tomasi shows off his narrative skills in the latest issue of the Adventures of the Super Sons with an emotional story surrounding the recent arrival of a group of children pretending to be super villains. Their debut in the issue prior didn’t reveal much regarding where they came from or their plans for Earth, but now we have a full backstory complete with a sinister agenda from their leader. While they are entertaining renditions of their Earth villain counterparts, their lives are actually quite grim, which added a layer of emotional depth that I honestly would have never expected to find in such a story.

The artistic direction of the issue continues to excel, contributing to the quality of the story with panels that add to the children’s whimsical nature without undermining the seriousness of their story…too much. There are some great sequences that find the perfect mix of these tones and it helps the issue to really shine.

Using the preconceived notions readers have of each villain’s persona, the story creates interesting dynamics between the characters and even gives a few surprises. While the Joker is known for his seemingly mindless manipulation, this version turns out to be truly sincere, even going so far as to quit the team of villains and ask the heroes for help. Although Robin doesn’t buy it at first, he eventually comes to the realization that everything isn’t as it seems. This makes for a great twist in the story, setting up this Joker’s narrative to be an all too familiar wild card.

Despite the Joker’s surprising actions, it turns out to be Robin who creates the unexpected ending. His confidence once again places him in a tough situation when he tinkers with the Hypercube and splits Superboy in two. This stuns everyone except Robin who hasn’t even noticed yet. How will he react next issue when he finds out why the Kryptonite turned red? And how in the world will they return Superboy to normal next issue? With the Joker lose on his own and the team of villains holding them hostage, the two super sons have a lot to handle!