Writer: Tom Taylor
Art: Cian Tormey and Federico Blee
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 9th, 2022
Last issue, Dreamer told Superman (Jonathan Kent) about her catastrophic vision, which showed Jon and other heroes being wiped out. In Superman Son of Kal-El #14, Jon, along with the Revolutionaries (a team of international freedom fighters last seen in The Suicide Squad comic) get pre-emptive as they launch an assault on Henry Bendix (who makes Lex Luthor look like Little Bo Peep) in an effort to change the future and save the people of Gamorra.
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The Story
Most of Superman Son of Kal-El #14 feels like the first half of a great old war movie like “The Dirty Dozen” or “Kelly’s Heroes”, where the enemy puts their pieces in place as the heroes strategize and come together. It’s that wonderful build-up that promises to pay off with some blockbuster action.
This is personal for Jay Nakamura, Jon’s boyfriend and a citizen of Gomorra. He desperately wants to liberate his country from Bendix’s rule. He brings in the Revolutionaries, who are freedom fighters, but most of the world sees them as terrorists.
I’m not too familiar with the Revolutionaries, but I really love the look of the team and their various personalities. They’re a team of 10, each with their own power set and unique look.
In many ways, the Revolutionaries remind me of a less crowded and more edgy version of The Legion of Super-Heroes. Most of them don’t get much “screen time” this issue. Osita, the team’s leader, is a powerhouse as towering as Big Barda, and she’s fully prepared to kill anyone that gets in their way, which results in her and Superman, who has a code against killing, having a confrontation.
And don’t get me started on Chaos Kitten, another member of the Revolutionaries. I love that name and I can’t wait to see her in action. I love her design too, with her Wolverine-style costume and her cap with diagonal points and “NOPE” boldly displayed on the front.
Superman and Jay have a great scene together in The Fortress of Solitude, and Jay goes into full warrior mode at the climax of the issue. Superman’s assembled quite a team here. It makes me want to see a series with Superman leading the Revolutionaries, Dreamer, and Jay on missions around the world. These characters are all fascinating. It’s one of the few times where the heroes are more interesting than the villain.
The Art
Cian Tormey’s art on Superman Son of Kal-El #14 is sleek and pops off the page.
He conveys characters’ personalities through their postures and expressions. Though Chaos Kitten only has one line in the book, you get the feeling she’s very laid-back from the way Tormey draws her sitting luxuriously on a control panel. Osita, on the other hand, is drawn like a walking tank, and her finger jabs and furrowed expressions make her an intimidating and formidable presence. The Fortress of Solitude looks straight out of “Superman 2” with the jagged ice formations and a polar bear family cavorting around inside of it. It’s great work that enhances the story.
Final Thoughts
Superman Son of Kal-El #14 is a great penultimate chapter to the battle against Henry Bendix, with the Revolutionaries joining the fray and some great moments with Superman and Jay. Bendix is a great villain and it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the final showdown with him.