Jon Kent is still trying to figure out what it really means to be Earth’s Superman. While he can pick up what’s best to do from his own Superman, that isn’t the only way to learn a lesson. In Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #4, Tom Taylor and Darick Robertson take great pains to show him what he shouldn’t be doing.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #4!
At the end of Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #3, Jon finally uncovers the secret of the Injustice Superman. Superman? Definitely not a superhero anymore. Now, Jon is finally ready to act on what he’s discovered. Unfortunately, the Injustice heroes aren’t exactly ready for him.
With Superman and his team heading off to space, Jon discovers that Batman’s rebels have taken Ultraman’s body. With it, they intend to finally find a way to stop Superman. Unfortunately for them, Jon isn’t quite ready to see them kill anyone. After he unintentionally blusters his way into a fight, Jon, Batgirl, and Alfred Pennyworth manage to get everyone to calm down.
Lex Luthor has secretly been working with Batman and tries to recruit Jon in the fight against Superman. Despite everything that Jon has seen in Adventures of Superman, he isn’t quite ready for that yet.
Jon returns to the Hall, only to find Damian Wayne waiting for him. Damian has become a dedicated soldier for Superman, and he isn’t quite the boy Jon knew. Jon tries to explain himself, but he doesn’t quite get through to Damian, who manages to plant a tracking device on him. That won’t come back to bite him at all.
Luckily for Jon, he does have one ally. The Jay Nakamura of this universe is as welcoming as the one from Jon’s. After a sweet conversation filled with a horrifically dark subject matter, Jon takes his leave. Now, he fully understands what went wrong with this world. All he has to do now is fix it.
Jon takes his leave, and that could easily be the end of this version of Jay’s story. Unfortunately, Adventures of Superman has another idea in mind. Damian bursts through the window and demands that Jay share exactly what he told Jon.
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The art in Adventures of Superman remains one of its best qualities. While it retains the clean look of modern comics, parts of Adventures of Superman harken back to an old-school style. It lends well to the development of Jon a young Superman. There are some parts of the art that feel somewhat weak — specifically that many of the backgrounds are merely blank splashes of color — but the overall look is great.
In terms of the story, the very concept of the arc continues to be excellent. Jon is still grappling with who he intends to be as he grows older, and he’s really starting to put the pieces together. He has his own Superman as a role model, but he’s also starting to see exactly where Superman can be improved. The Injustice world is showing him that Superman can be more involved, even if he’s clearly seeing some of the flaws in Kal-El’s style.
The entire point of every one of Jon’s adventures so far has been balancing his Kryptonian side with his human side. He has the power to change the world, but the human side of him continues to question how to do that without controlling it all. Injustice is teaching him why freedom is so important, and Damian is reminding him that relationships are too.
There are no wasted moments in Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent. Every panel feels essential to Jon’s story and to the Injustice world. Jon’s fight with Batman may feel somewhat contrived, but it ends with a frank discussion that gives Jon insight into Damian and into the world at large.
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His fellow Super Son is becoming a crucial part of the story. Damian’s anger at Batman mirrors the anger that he felt in the Shadow War event well enough to give Jon new insight into his friend once he gets back home. Damian and Jay both have interesting roles here that tie into Jon’s past and present, and their coming confrontation will lend itself well to the overarching themes of Jon’s story.
Still, there are some negatives to the issue. After all, the Injustice Superman barely has any presence here. It’s hard for Jon to really uncover the nature of the man when he is barely around to talk. It also doesn’t help that Superman barely seems to be paying much attention to Jon at all. He does have Damian snooping around, but he hasn’t made any real effort to preserve the truth.
Even in spite of the negatives, Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #4 continues to astound. The story is clearly building to something that can really define Jon’s character. For a character who skipped his earliest years of development, the Injustice setting could be a great place for Jon to uncover the truth about who Superman is. If ever someone could save this unpredictable universe, it may be a teenager with a strong moral code and a deep-seated love for his friends.
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