Superman: Father of Tomorrow #6: Be Better

Superman: Father of Tomorrow #6 is the shocking conclusion of the epic Elseworlds comic miniseries by writer Kenny Porter and artist Danny Earls. What if Jor-El, not baby Kal-El, escaped Krypton’s destruction and crash-landed in Kansas? Becoming family to the Kents as “Jordan Kent,” this adult Jor-El uses both his powers and his brilliant scientific mind to forcibly improve Earth. With his incredible powers and his advanced alien technology, Jor knows he can save Earth. The only question is: will the humans let him? Lex Luthor, determined to save the world, has become Earth’s mightiest magician. General Lane, determined to stop Superman, has become Earth’s mightiest bomb. Now it’s up to Superman to save his new world. 

The year of Superman is slowly becoming the decade of Superman. DC has been putting out a lot of great Superman content since “Superman” came out in 2025. With the amount of content being pushed out, some is better than others, but either way, I am excited to see the Super Family in the spotlight. This new series started off intriguing, and Kenny Porter explored some interesting themes with this Elseworld story. This twist to the Superman story works well because it can explore themes like survivor’s guilt, scientific morality, and human nature. Similar to Kara, Jor watched his world burn, but he has many memories and knowledge from his time on Krypton. His introduction of advanced technology brings up questions of morality, as humanity attempts to weaponize the advancements he provides. He also must grapple with human nature and the way his world has changed. I also like the twist on Lex Luthor, going from a man of science to a man of magic. Something else that works well is the clear capitalist human mindset and how it stops us from advancing. It’s a great way to include real-world parallels. I also love any time Zatanna is mentioned on the page. I think this finale was a little lackluster, but the closing pages hit home. The overall storyline was a little scattered, and this closing fight felt like it lasted three issues. I think more could have been explored in the six issues. The moral of the story was also a little heavy-handed, but it still brought a sense of emotion and finality.  This miniseries has a limited number of issues to get this story across, so it makes sense that events escalate quickly, but some of the motivations and actions of General Lane seem hurried. Despite this, Porter still manages to deliver a compelling story across this miniseries. 

The story is supported incredibly by the art and colors by Danny Earls. The more muted color palette by Fildari perfectly parallels the darker themes presented in this story. The panels in this story blend exceptionally and match the pacing of this fast issue. If I had one complaint about the art, it would be that some of the faces look strange. At first, I could not tell if it was the proportions or colors causing the strangeness, but it is definitely the proportions. They are distractingly off in proportion. It’s especially apparent in the character’s hands. Everyone looks slightly alien. Maybe it’s intentional? However, this is a minimal issue and does not distract from the overall story.