Superman: Son of Kal-El #3 Faster Than A Falling Building

Tom Taylor makes Superman into the kind of father that all parents want to be and that everyone wants to have. He’s funny, supportive of his son, passionate with his spouse, and good in a way that few superheroes are. Aside from just being really excellent to read about (Dad Superman is the best Superman. Fight me) this care enables readers to really worry about the character and about the effect that his inevitable absence will have, both on his son and on the larger world — even as we know that this absence is necessary in order to truly elevate Jon to the status of the-one-and-only Superman.

Just in case my gushing didn’t make this obvious, I’ll say baldly that I absolutely loved this issue. I loved the snappy one-liners, I loved the fact that Jon saved all of the apartment pets when that building collapsed (catching the valuable lives that most heroes would have missed), I loved that fact that Jay, the too-cool internet presence, lost absolutely all of his composure when presented with his journalist hero, Lois Lane. 

I love that this story is highlighting the absurdity of the fact that American police meet peaceful protests with the butt or barrel of a gun, as though the ‘crime’ of protest (which is not actually a crime) warranted literal death.

I love the depiction of America as a country which says that it was built on the backs of immigrants and refugees (but really on the silent bones of the original inhabitants and slaves) whilst actively abusing the refugees who risk all hazards to cross its borders.

It was both true to life, and enraging, to watch a rich white man using the body of a non-consenting brown woman as a weapon. So. Look out for that.

Timms’ art is bursting with energy and life, both whilst in the midst of action and during quiet moments. Eltaeb’s color work was vibrant, equally energetic, and it added richness to the story. 

There’s a lot of action packed into these twenty-four pages. It would be a shame if you skipped it and missed out.