*This article contains spoilers for Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #2*
Welcome back, Injustice Universe!
One of DC’s greatest video games as well as “elseworlds” tales is Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013). After years of these characters having completed their story arcs and disappearing from comics, they are returning in Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent (2023). But before Jon can deal with that, he has to face his greatest adversary—the person who held him captive for years: Ultraman.
As Ultraman continues killing Supermen from across the Multiverse, Jon Kent, Val-Zod, and Red Tornado (Lois Lane) converge at the Fortress of Solitude. Armed with the Phantom Zone Projector, a device which opens the doorway to the Phantom Zone, the heroes travel to a universe where a Superman has just been murdered.
But before they leave, Lois and Jay have a bit of a heart-to-heart about loving the people they love: Supermen. Lois confides there is always fear her husband will not return home, but she buries those fears by launching herself in her own work. Her final advice, which is beautiful: always make Superman promise he will come home, because Superman always keeps his promises.
There is something beautiful about this advice, that Superman is a force of nature who will always come home simply because he keeps his word. That is farm-boy morality. A professor at my old university would call it integrity—something undervalued in American culture. It is also great seeing this relationship forming between Jay and Lois in the way Barry Allen’s wife, Iris West, and Wally West’s wife, Linda Park, have this club of wives of heroes.
As they travel to another Earth, Val-Zod and Red Tornado reveal why Jon is recruited for the mission. In every other universe, time is the same—meaning Jon Kent is still a young boy everywhere in the multiverse. In fact, there is only one other Earth, aside from Prime-Earth, where Jon is an adult: the DCeased Universe. It just so happens Prime-Earth is where author Brian Michael Bendis aged Jon into a young adult, which makes our Jon Kent unique.
As they search for Ultraman, it is he who finds the Kryptonians first. Ultraman easily overpowers them, dismantling Red Tornado and sending Val-Zod to the Phantom Zone.
Honestly, this felt like a slap in the face to Val-Zod fans, but it feels more like a setup than a write-off. Val-Zod will return, as the saying goes.
Luckily, Jon has recently realized super powers caused by the Lazarus eruption in Lazarus Planet.
Jon unlocks his Superman: Blue powers, using electric energy to take-out Ultraman—but not completely. As both men lay recovering on the ground from the energy blast, Ultraman is the first to get up. He vows to make Lois Lane suffer. To kill Jon. But as he makes these threats, a pair of hands emerge and snap his neck. It is Injustice Superman.
Automatically, there is a parallel to Superman killing General Zod in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel movie. This action is so awesome. Super-morality is in question! We have a Superman who is not afraid to kill his enemies in our midst. And I feel he is about to turn Jon Kent’s world upside down. This also makes me think of Kingdom Come Superman, who would be horrified at what just happened. I hope he makes an appearance in the coming issues We have the makings of a morality epic and I for one am excited.
Overall, this was a great issue with multiple paces, but still felt cohesive. I feel like I am learning more and more about Jon with every issue. He is a character with depth. He’s not about brawn and fighting. He’s not about superhero tropes. He’s a symbol of the newer generation of heroes. Heroes who reflect the world. LGBTQ+ heroes. Hispanic heroes. African American heroes. Asian heroes. Transgender heroes. He’s a reflection of the inclusivity that he wants the audience to envelop. That is something comics need.
Rating: 4/5 Stars: Jon Kent makes for an interesting story. Plus, the Injustice angle adds to the vigor of the story. It makes it more welcoming to Injustice fans and offers and entry into the story.
Suggested reading: Injustice: Year One. This is foundational in understanding Injustice Superman.
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