Superman: Son of Kal-El #16: In A Heartbeat

This issue was primarily used as a means of wrapping up a series of loose ends, providing epilogue to the stories which came before, but it also laid the groundwork for coming arcs, making it into something of a balancing act — one which (thankfully) Taylor managed quite beautifully. Of course, one should never be surprised that Taylor would be an excellent juggler, he used to perform for real before he broke into comics writing. Throwing a narrative around is quite similar to keeping a barrage of knives and clubs in the air. 

Past and future spin around and around in this issue: Jon remembers key moments in which he depended on his father’s love; Lois has her ear to the ground, listening for future threats growing up from the soil of past battles; Jon revisits a past mistake and works for atonement; Luthor sets a trap that will spring sometime soon; a lost father returns (armed with his love) promising a healing embrace. 

This story is packed, with plots and action that are as far-fetched as a superhero comic ever could be, but it’s grounded in profoundly human moments which lend the real emotional heft necessary for telling a good Superman story. Jon is defined by his care, both the care he receives (from his parents, boyfriend, and friends) and in what he gives back to the world via search and rescue and visiting children’s hospitals. And, of course, central to all of this is the unshakable bond found at the center of a healthy parent/child relationship. 

Jon has taken over his father’s duties (including keeping his mom’s coffee warm, which has some rather nasty psychological implications, gotta say) but he is not his father. He has accepted this role reluctantly, and he’s inhabited it well, but who doesn’t long for their Daddy to come home and fix everything, just with their presence, the way that they seemed to when their child was very young?

 Jon’s reunion with his father (an idealized version of a very human desire) was handled absolutely perfectly. The art and the lettering (thmp-thmp) did most of the heavy lifting. When Cian Tormey and Ruairi Coleman panned in tight to focus on Jon’s pained, frightened face before pulling out to reveal that climactic embrace it felt like my own heart had stopped. 

This issue is something close to perfect, laying the groundwork for what’s to come while reminding readers about why we love these characters so much in the first place. I cannot wait to see what comes next.