Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #2 Review -

Writer: Tom Taylor
Art: Clayton Henry
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Wes Abbott
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 4th, 2023

Ultraman, the evil Earth-3 version of Superman, is moving through the multiverse, killing Superman on every Earth, and he’s heading for Earth-Prime! Jon Kent, still suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after Ultraman subjected him to years of imprisonment, has to face him again. But this time, in Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #2, Jon has Earth-2’s Superman (Val-Zod) and Red Tornado to help him battle Ultraman and end his killing once and for all.

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The Story

Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #2 proves that Ultraman is a prick of epic proportions. This is a guy who not only would throw his grandmother under a bus, he’d lift a bus and slam it down on her like he was executing a three-point WWE “off the top rope” move, then throw his arms in the air and yell “In your face!” in celebration afterward. But Val-Zod (Earth-2’s Obama-like Superman) and the Earth-2 Red Tornado (a female android with Lois Lane’s brain) are determined to stop Ultraman’s berserker rage through the multiverse. They craft a plan with Jonathan to stop Ultraman by ambushing him on an alternate Earth, but what about Jonathan’s boyfriend Jay Nakamura? He has the power to phase through things (like the Vision or Phantom Girl). Why not bring Jay along and have him just phase into Ultraman and tear him apart from the inside? Instead, Jay is left behind on Earth-Prime waving a tearful goodbye to Jonathan. It’s like writer Tom Taylor conveniently forgot about Jay’s powers just to stretch out the story.

We get a lot of good moments throughout this issue. I especially like seeing the scenes between Jonathan Kent and his boyfriend Jay, with their romantic dynamic being an interesting spin on the Clark and Lois relationship. Jonathan’s wonderfully unsure of himself at times and it’s a great contrast to the omniscient Kal-El, who always seems to do the right thing and make the right decision. Val-Zod is fascinating but very stiff at times. He feels much like Kal-El did back in the 1970’s issues of Action Comics, all business with no room for levity. Though he seems to have an attachment to the Red Tornado, it’s more of a professional relationship than an emotional one. Tom Taylor is all about the shock factor, and once Jonathan and the others reach the alternate Earth, he delivers one shocking scene after another, ending the issue with a surprisingly brutal finish.

The Art

Clayton Henry’s art on Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #2 is all super clean linework, with just the right amount of detail to enhance every scene. Val-Zod is drawn as a massive powerhouse, where the Red Tornado is drawn graceful and almost ballerina-like in the way she moves between panels. Ultraman’s face always seems to be locked in permanent rage, as if he knows no other emotion.
Jordie Bellaire’s colors pop off the page and make every scene super appealing visually.

Final Thoughts

Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #2 ends the two-parter on a shocking but satisfying note. Jonathan has some great character moments and there are surprises galore. Though there’s a huge plot hole in leaving Jay Nakamura out of the action, I enjoyed the book and look forward to seeing what happens next.