Superman Unlimited #13: Super Monkey

Jon Kent is Metropolis’s favorite nepo baby superhero. After being launched into space for years at a young age, he returned to Earth, a teenager, and took up the mantle of Superman. But when the time demon Master Txyz brings back a young multiverse version of Jon to Metropolis, it’s up to the Superboys to pick up the pieces. Superman Unlimited #13 continues the exciting Reign of the Superboys event for DC. Mr. Mxyzptlk has warned Jon of a demonic threat coming to destroy his world. Jon doesn’t believe him until the demon, Master Txyz, bends time and space to show Jon his future. Master Txyz has brought a younger version of Jon Kent to Metropolis, and the Jon Kent we know and love has become Tomorrow Man. What can happen in a world with two Jon Kents? Maybe a monkey with Kryptonian powers. Find out in this exciting new issue!

This issue is incredibly fun and feels like the perfect imaginative addition to the Superman Unlimited series. If you have been reading my reviews, you know that Jon Kent is my favorite character ever. I have been waiting for him to take the spotlight, and he finally is. This issue is an interesting exploration of Jon Kent’s trauma and his ability to understand who he is. It’s interesting to see the way he goes about mentoring his younger self. Slott seems to be setting up some really interesting assessments of Jon’s character, and this feels like a major evolution for Superman. I’m excited for what seems to be a big summer event for Jon Kent! I am hoping it means he gets his own series again. While I am thrilled with this issue and the spotlight on Jon, I feel like some of the choices made came from a heavy hand from editorial. It feels like DC is trying to fix a mistake it made years ago by aging Jon up. They are also trying to revoke the title of Superman from him to avoid confusion. While I’m not thrilled with these choices, I don’t blame Slott, and I think he did some clever ways of telling this story. If this event continues or leads to a regular Superboys series, it would be interesting to see the exploration of Jon’s trauma from his time in space and how he connects to his younger self. There is likely a metaphor about Jon’s queerness, but editorial will likely use it as a way to retcon his bisexuality.  Just let Jon be Superman! Other than that, this is a perfect issue and really digs into why Jon Kent is one of the best superheroes in the game.

Visually, the book is stunning. One of my favorite artists, Lucas Meyer, returns to the book to bring incredible visions of the future.  I got the chance to meet Meyer at New York Comic Con, and he is just as pleasant in person as he is on the page. Meyer develops dynamic panel layouts and action sequences. The design of Tomorrow Man’s suit is absolutely sleek, and it’s perfect for Jon’s rebrand.  Jon Kent also deserves some much-needed praise as he looks adorable in his new “secret identity”.  Meyer delivers a stunning visual palette, clean, kinetic linework paired with bold colors that leap off the page.