The story comes full circle for the Super Sons as Kid Amazo is back on the scene. The boys’ first real foe has broken free from his imprisonment at LexCorp and sets his sights on amassing more and more power.
Pretty basic plot, and it works well enough. Per usual, though, the real draw here is the banter between Jon and Damian. I may sound like a broken record about it at this point, but it just cannot be understated how great their chemistry is. Even with a fairly straightforward story, it’s still worth checking out Super Sons because of the strong character work.
It’s worth noting that Jon and Damian have effectively become brothers and friends, even if they’d be loathe to admit it. What started out as a petty rivalry has grown into a true friendship between the two, exemplified as they take good-natured jabs at each other while getting the job done as heroes. There’s a great scene where Damian, working out so as to stay sharp, becomes annoyed that Jon can be heard over the intercom. Damian had disabled the sub’s communication devices, see, so that he wouldn’t be bothered as visitors made their way down to the Fortress of Attitude.
Turns out that Batman taught Jon how to override Damian’s modifications. That is hilarious.
Their back and forth is cut short, though, as Kid Amazo attacks and attempts to kidnap Jon. What follows is a fairly lengthy underwater fight scene that takes up the majority of the issue. Carlo Barberi’s use of compressed panels and head-on shots work really well to convey the desperation the boys have in trying to escape Kid Amazo. The images themselves are fairly simple: the boys fighting toward the surface, all against varying shades of blue backgrounds. It’s hard not to think of a movie like Jaws and the terrors of the deep, especially with the relatively static shots. Instead of changing perspective and viewing the action from different angles, most of the struggle shows Jon, Damian, or both in the frame, fleeing the danger below and rising toward salvation above.
While there’s not an awful lot to the issue, what’s there is well-written, gorgeously illustrated, and all-around entertaining. While I miss Jorge Jimenez on the title, Barberi puts in some mighty fine work, and the steady inks of Art Thibert and the lush colors of Protobunker complement his style nicely. Those underwater scenes could have easily been bland and repetitive, but the boys pop against the blue background hues while still appearing to be submerged. It’s a fine line to walk, and the art team balances it nicely.
Great as the visuals are, my favorite aspect of the issue was Dave Sharpe’s lettering. His word balloon choices are nice and clean and the fonts are crisp. Normally, this would be enough for adulation, as good lettering makes a comic easier to read.
But that’s not all. No, besides the excellent choices in delivering dialogue, the sound effects are top-notch.
“FWRAPP” is solid enough, but it’s “SSUUNNGEBOIIIE!” that takes the cake and is also my new favorite name for the Boy of Steel. It isn’t technically a sound effect, but I’ve never seen a better visualization of trying to yell underwater. The elongated, strained vowels work well enough on their own, yet the brilliant little touch of the water bubbles on the letters is just perfection.
Ultimately, this is a “more of the same” issue of Super Sons. Considering “the same” consists of great dialogue and visuals, though, I’ll gladly take it.
Bonus: A fantastic variant cover from Dustin Nguyen.
Which of course pays homage to this:
Recommended if:
- You like the strong character work and relationship between the boys.
- You’re a fan of great underwater scenes.
- You’ve been waiting for Kid Amazo to return.
Overall: For the penultimate issue of Super Sons, Tomasi and team deliver what you’d expect: strong dialogue, great visuals, and a good time with the title characters. What the story lacks in depth is more than made up for with the sheer entertainment value of seeing Jon and Damian interact with each other. They’ve grown to be friends with each other, and in some ways, it feels like we’ve become friends with them too. Hopefully next month’s final issue can deliver and send the boys out on a high note.
SCORE: 7.5/10
