‘Sinister Sons’ #1 gives us two new bad boys to watch grow up

Now, though, the question begs if Tomasi and a new creative team (artist David Lafuente and colorist Tamra Bonvillain) can do the same for some up-and-coming junior supervillains.

Sinister Sons takes the same formula as its “sibling” series and focuses on Lor-Zod, son of General Zod, and Sinson, the son of Sinestro. The former’s been cast from his home of New Kandor and seeks to make a name for himself in a new galaxy. The latter, meanwhile, is seeking to join his father to bring fear to the universe at-large. Ah, to be young and super-powered.

Inevitably, I think there’s going to be lots of overlap and general points of connection between Super Sons and Sinister Sons. At the same time, there’s seemingly just as much difference to boot. And if the book can further thread that needle, then we may be onto something genuinely great.

The very story structure seems to be the same, as Lor and Sinson are instantly opposed and launched on a similar path from strangers to tenuous allies and perhaps eventually earnest BFFs. This remains true even as both kids operate from markedly different perspectives than even Jon and Damian. Where those two heroes both wanted to live up to their father’s markedly different but same-coin-ed legacies, Lor is very much anti-parent as Sinson craves that deeper connection. They’re more diametrically opposed, and they’re coming to the same opportunities for freedom and individuality with different intents and an overall tone. It’ll be interesting to see the kind of deeper tension that causes than if they were just a blue Boy Scout and a creepy bat detective. Still, it’s that very connection that I think will help these young lads stand on their own as they forge their own path forward.

Courtesy of DC Comics.

I also think the art is a really interesting place where things feel connected to the Super Sons even as it’s also wholly different. Lafuente and Bonvillain together try and pay homage (whether deliberately or not) to the work of Carlo Barberi, Art Thibert, etc. in Super Sons, and what we get is very exaggerated and over the top. It’s the sort of overarching aesthetic that you’d expect from seeing the world through the eyes of a youngster, and so there’s all sorts of massively vivid colors, weird, lanky bodies, and heaps of slightly sweet or silly undertones expressed via the art.

At the same time, though, the new team is clearly operating at their own level, and this book plays up those aforementioned energies and ideas in a way that’s decidedly removed from the Super Sons dynamic. It’s in the sleek and stylized build of Lor’s ship, the heft of the gangster aliens surrounding Sinson, and even the emotions of our boys’ faces when they meet: there’s a touch more grit and intent here, and that really makes this feel sweet with a proper undertone of “darkness.” Sure, it’s still very much an aw-shucks-inducing world here, but I think there’s layers and a different emphasis here to show us why these boys will have a very different kind of setting to explore and adventures/schemes to hatch.

Courtesy of DC Comics.

Of course, it’s worth noting (however obvious it might seem) that Lor and Sinson are bad guys. And so rather than watching two kids try to learn to be good, we’re watching them figure out how to be quite awful, and that already seems like it’s going to be way more fun overall. The Jon-Damian thing was about their hijinks trending toward goodness and decency, but Lor and Sinson don’t have those trappings to contend with, and so we can see them unleash even more extreme madness and chaos.

It’s about taking this very core concept — kids growing up and grappling with reality — and tweaking it just enough to wring out new ideas and understanding. We don’t have to worry about liking either kid, even as this first issue sets them up to be just sympathetic enough.  Through that rather multifaceted process, this story takes on a whole new life as a tale about how everyone struggles to escape things and people bigger than ourselves, and what massive power a little goodness can have on the arc of those movements.

So, if you liked Super Sons, there’s heaps in Sinister Sons for you to like: big, dynamic art, bratty kids battling the massive shadows of their father, and lots of space action and battles. But it’s also going to be something entirely new, as the creators take away some of the connective potential of Damian and Jon and get us thinking more about the same ideas of youth, family, and friendship from a markedly different framework. And so far, that framework is really popping as this debut sets up our adorable little villains for a proper adventure toward fully seizing upon their respective destinies. Sure, we don’t actually want the baddies to ever win, but I’m already cheering on Sinister Sons in a massive way.