Superman is a character than means a lot to me, one that I’ve known of my entire life thanks to the collective unconscious, but really entered my life towards the end of college and at the beginning of University. However, this coincided with the New 52. A point in time where, while Batman was doing great, Superman was far from interesting to me. It became a time of research, looking at classic stories and must reads such as Kryptonite Nevermore, Superman: Birthright, and Kingdom Come. When DC Rebirth was announced, I was on the fence about it, until the creative team for Superman was announced. Peter Tomasi on writing and Patrick Gleason on art. The only book I was adamantly reading during the New 52 was Batman and Robin, also written by Tomasi and Gleason. As the title suggests, Batman and Robin focused on Bruce Wayne and the newest Robin, his son Damian. The dynamic and drive of the book was the pair learning to really get along. Bruce trying to connect with his son, while Damian learns to curb his killer instincts and to be a better person. When Grant Morrison killed off Damian in Batman Incorporated, Tomasi and Gleason used the opportunity to examine Bruce’s grief into loosing yet another family, and eventually fighting through hell to resurrect the son he’d come to love. While it was overshadowed by Snyder and Capullo’s mainline Batman book, in my opinion, it was the best the New 52 had to off.

The announcement of a new Superman book, the idea of it focusing on him being a father, and the creative team of Tomasi and Gleason. That was a dream come true.

Background:

The Superman of the New 52 is not the same one we meet in Rebirth. DC treated the New 52 as an out and out reboot. A fresh start for all, with the exception of Batman. Who, according to Scott Snyder in a Fat Man on Batman podcast, was decided to largely keep the same but with a condensed timeline. The New 52 Superman came off as a little more brash, he had a working relationship with Lois, while instead dating Wonder Woman, a much blander pairing in honesty, as the dynamic isn’t as fun or enduring. Started off as a blogger before joining the Daily Planet. Developed a new power in the form of the ‘Solar Flare’, became the God of strength along with other Justice League members after fighting Darkseid, and finally died in The Final Days of Superman. However, it’s during both Convergence and The Final Days of Superman that we learn there is another Superman in the New 52 universe. This one is the Post-Crisis Clark Kent. The one that has existed from 1986’s Man of Steel by John Byrne, up until 2011’s Flashpoint event that created the New 52 universe.

During Convergence, we see different incarnations of characters interacting with each other, all fighting for survival. In the event tie-ins, specifically Convergence: Superman #1 and #2, we learn that among these different versions of characters are the Post-Crisis Superman and Lois Lane. While in the bottled cities of the story, Superman loses his powers, and he and Lois spend a year having a somewhat normal life. In this time, Lois even becomes pregnant with Clark’s child. However, as Lois is due to give birth, the events of Convergence kick in. Superman’s powers return, and the inhabitants of their city is forced to fight a city of people from the Flashpoint universe. While Superman does fight them off in order to protect Lois and his unborn child, it’s only with the help of Flashpoint Batman, Thomas Wayne, that his son is safely delivered. A half human, half Kryptonion boy they name Jonathan Samuel Kent.

When Convergence comes to an end, Superman, Lois and Jon are transported to the New 52 universe. Arriving during the New 52’s Justice Leagues formation. Their time in the New 52 Universe while that Superman was still active was chronicled in the miniseries Superman: Lois and Clark by Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks. That is worth reading in itself, while short, it gives a lot of information and details as to how they do try and live an ordinary life, granted under pseudonyms, and how Clark just can’t stop himself from trying to do good. Donning a black suit, sans cape, with a silver emblem on his chest and a short beard. While the mini series comes to an end, Jon discovers that his father is Superman, and begins to learn about his own powers. Tomasi and Gleason’s run begins just as the New 52 Superman passes away, and the Post Crisis Superman steps up officially.

Superman: Rebirth One-Shot:

Every title from the beginning of Rebirth received a one-shot issue before the #1’s hit the shelves to try and explain where the series will be when it starts. Superman’s rebirth one-shot covered, all be it very briefly, everything I’ve just touched on in the background. It’s shown in a single page, while the rest of the issue shows the Post-Crisis Superman visiting the grave of his New 52 counterpart. While in the tomb, he comes across the New 52 Lana Lang. He needs to calm her at first that he is not her Superman at first, where she immediately calls him a faker. Once she is calm, she asks why he is there. In a moment of calm, he explains to her that he wanted to see if he would come back to life. Wondering where he got that idea from, Clark explains to her that in his universe he did die once. Walking her through the events of The Death and Return of Superman. At the end of Clark’s story, they remove the New 52 Superman’s urn from the tomb and take it to the Fortress of Solitude. Clark’s hope is that this one will work just as his did, that they will find the Regeneration Matrix, this universes Superman will be resurrected, and that he can keep his promise of not interfering with this universe. However, there is no Regeneration Matrix in this Fortress. There is no way of bringing him back. Clark’s genome is read by the computer and a message from the New 52 Superman, intended for his Supergirl plays;

“If these crystals have been activated, it means I’m dead, Kara. Like we spoke about the last time we were here together. You’re the last Kryptonian, our beautiful and fragile adoptive home world needs you now more than ever. It needs its Supergirl to be ready.”

While the message plays, Clark notices something different about this Fortress compared to his own. While he had statues dedicated to his Kryptonian parents, the New 52 version made statues to both his Kryptonian and human parents.

“Never occurred to me to do it in my Fortress… But how obvious. He honoured both”.

The idea of honouring all that created him, and the idea that this Superman can’t bring back the New 52 version stirs something within Clark. He turns to Lara and they both decide to ‘bring him home’. Both arriving in Smallville cemetery, where Lara buries the remains of her Clark with his human parents. As the issue ends, Clark flies back to the Fortress, and carves a new statue of his New 52 counterpart alongside his family.

Son of Superman (issues #1 – #6)

The first arc to Tomasi and Gleason’s run dealt heavily with Clark taking back up the role of Superman publicly, and its effect on Jon. Granted, the actual public side of this is addressed in Jurgen’s Action Comics run alongside this. The issue begins with Clark returning to the graves of Jonathan and Martha Kent, with the New 52s remains also buried there thanks to the one-shot. He’s essentially asking their permission to carry on for him.

“The World needs to see again that there’s a Superman looking out for them. You may not be here in body, but I know you are in spirit. The colours will fly”.

Clark unzips his jacket and flies off, showing off a brand-new costume. It’s a nice mix between the classic look, and the New 52 armour. The military high collar of the armour is gone, now taking a shape closer to the classic costume. Though the trunks are still missing, the red in the middle being replaced with a stylised belt.

It cuts to Hamilton County, and the Farm that Clark and his family are now living on. Taking up the surname Smith rather than Kent. We get our first look of Jon, as he’s looking out of the window at the barn that has just been struck by lightning. Jon admits that he’s scared, that the animals are screaming, but when his father shows up and rescues them, he knows he doesn’t have to worry. The very hope that Clark inspires in his son just by doing good is a fundamental part of Superman. Superman has always been a parental figure. It can be seen in his interactions with people throughout his 80-year history. But the introduction of Jon and this chance to see their interactions brings home that feeling. It strongly hammers in that notion of Superman as father figure.

The next day, Lois, Clark and Jon are cleaning up, as Jon begs his father to let him help with rebuilding the barn. Clark tells him that he can, as long as he promises to keep his powers in check, especially when Clark isn’t around. He promises and runs off to go fill up the corn harvester with gas. As he’s running, Lois’s cat Goldie runs with him chasing a mouse. However, while in the field, a hawk swoops down and snatches Goldie. At first Jon throws a rock to try and get him to drop the cat, but in a moment of panic, his heat vision kicks in and kills both the hawk and Goldie. Jon falls to his knees, holding Goldie’s collar close to him, and cries over not only loosing his cat, but breaking his promise to his father. In his grief, he notices a young girl watching him from a nearby tree. Through the series, and especially in the early arcs, we see Jon come to terms with the idea and responsibilities surrounding his powers and having to live up to his father being Superman. It’s a tremendous amount of weight on his shoulders, especially for a 10-year-old. Later, he walks back to the house where his father asks if he’s ready to help with the barn and give his powers a try. Defeated, Jon tells him that he’s changed his mind and wants to take it slow learning how to use them. Clearly noted something is wrong, Clark tells him to take it easy and that he’ll see him at dinner.

At dinner, the family discuss their day, when Lois asks if anyone has seen Goldie. Both Clark and Jon say no, when the door bell rings and the girl from earlier is waiting. Her name is Kathy Branden, she and her grandfather just brought the dairy farm across from the Smiths, and she wanted to drop by, say hi, and give them some milk. Jon is very clearly uncomfortable as he doesn’t know how much she saw earlier. Clark invites Kathy in for dessert, but she politely excuses herself with chores, clearly noting Jon’s discomfort. Once they are alone, Lois points out how quiet Jon was, and Clark notes that maybe it would be a good idea for Jon to make friends since they seem to be about the same age. Jon’s emotions hit boiling point, when he snaps at his parent;

“What’s so nice about it, huh, mom? Everything we do is one big secret. I can’t tell them who we really are. My mom writes books under a secret name. My dad is secretly a superhero and I’m secretly half human and half Kryptonian?!”

It’s clear that Jon does have a lot to deal with. Not just his life’s secrecy, but the isolation he feels from it. For his outburst and accusing his parents of “using him to be a bunch of liars”, his parents send him to bed. We cut to the middle of the night, Jon looking out of the window again with tears streaming down his face. In the darkness, he spots two figures, finally moving into the light enough for him to see that it’s Wonder Woman and Batman. Superman appears out of the shadows to greet them, and Jon tries to use his hearing to make out what’s going on. When all three of the heroes look in Jon’s direction, he panics and hides by his bed. Suddenly, his father bursts into his room and tells him that Jon is coming with him.

Clark takes Jon far north, a distress beacon came through from the Coast Guard Icebreaker, and they are there to help it out. Clark notes that Jon is shaking while he’s carrying him, despite being wrapped up in a coat, hat and gloves. Nervously, Jon asks if he is going to hand him over to the Justice League, if Wonder Woman and Batman were at the farm because of him. Clark admits that it’s actually him they are worried about since he’s the “new Superman on the block”. They land on an iceberg and Jon admits that he’s not sure if it’s such a good idea to have brought him along. At this point, it’s very clear just how unsure of himself Jon is. He’s untested, stressed, and still very guilty over what happened with the cat. But Clark calms him;

“Just relax and don’t worry. I want you to listen, watch and learn, okay?”

He leaves Jon on the nearby iceberg, while diving under water to help free the trapped submarine. Jon is clearly in awe at seeing his father work and admires how he talks to the crew once the work is done. However, just as the job is finished, a giant tentacle monster bursts out from the ocean and attacks the submarine. Clark shouts for Jon to stay down, but as the tentacles get in close and almost knock Jon over, Clark tells him to follow his directions and use his heat vision to help. Jon is understandably very nervous about this, shouting that if he was to use them, he’d hit his father and burn him. He follows Clark’s directions but immediately stops when he realises that it does hurt Clark. Jon breaks down for a second;

“See? I’m burning you! I can’t do it right – I couldn’t before and….”

Clark looks back and assures him that he’s fine. That he knows he can do it, because he’s his son. Jon bursts open his coat and reveals his own Superman shirt, a zip up jacket with red shoulders. Getting into position, Jon uses his hear vision, and manages to drive the creature back into the ocean. The pair sit for a second, and Jon comments that it was kind of fun. Clark comments on Jon’s shirt, asking if he’s wearing the shield for Superboy. Jon says that he found it in a second-hand store in town, and that he sees a lot of people wearing the Batman logo or the Wonder Woman symbol. And that he just wanted to feel ‘super’ like his father.

“Jon, you’re not like the boy who outgrew this shirt and donated it. I’m afraid that someday soon – too soon – you will have to pick it up and embrace the ‘S’ for yourself. It’s not about our powers, or strength, or heat vision, it’s about character. It means doing the right thing when no one else will. Even when you’re scared. Even when you think no one is looking”.

What Superman is talking about here isn’t just the responsibilities that his son is going to inherit, but also the meaning that symbol embodies when we as readers wear it. it’s the semiotics behind the Superman shield. When we were it, we are carrying with us the hope, strength and ideals of Superman. A good book that looks into the idea of Superhero costumes and the semiotics around it is The Superhero Costume by Graydon and Brownie.

Jon admits to his father what happened with the cat. That he used his powers to try and save Goldie, but he just made things worse. Clark admits that he already knew, that his heat vision gives off a distinct smell in the ozone. One that he picked up when the wind blew that day. Jon is still filled with guilt for not being able to save Goldie, and that he just hopes that his father and mother can forgive him. Clark and Jon set off home, but as they have left, a red glow bursts out from the ice, forming a superman shield in the smoke. It’s clearly scanning, and has picked up a genome shared by both Kryptonian and human, originating from the House of El.

Back at the farm, the family bury what’s left of Goldie beneath the tree as the sun sets. It’s clear that despite Jon’s fears, his parents do forgive him, knowing that while he did the wrong thing, it was for the right reason, and his guilt shows that he knows this. Later, Jon is sat in the tree when Kathy comes to join him. Back at the house, Lois is treated Clark’s burnt back while they talk about what to do about Jon’s powers. While this is going on, Jon asks Kathy why she didn’t mention the cat to his parents. Naturally Kathy notes that “everybody’s got secrets, small ones, big ones…” They continue talking, with Kathy asking if his powers scare him. Jon states that he doesn’t want to hurt anybody, and she replies that she knows that because he has a kind heart. Suddenly, the branch the pair are sitting on breaks, and Jon falls. While Clark and Lois continue talking, they are disturbed by Kathy and her grandfather bursting in, carrying an unconscious Jon. Kathy explains what happened, and her Grandfather, Cobb, offers to take him to the local doctor. In a very threatening manner, Clark tells them that they will take care of it, and they should go. Once they are alone, Clark reveals that he has already given him a full body scan, and that he has a slight concussion. Lois, understandably freaked out, asks how he could still have these frailties, even with his powers developing. The pair decide it’s best to take a look at him in the Fortress of Solitude, but while they discuss it the red light from before enters the Fortress and finally takes the form of The Eradicator.

As the family arrive at the Fortress, Lois comments about how uncomfortable she feels there. It’s not theirs. It’s the Fortress belonging to the New 52 Superman. It feels like trespassing. As they enter, they spot the Eradicator who comments that he’s been waiting for Kal-El. In a moment of rage, Clark dives for him, angry that he’s broken in, and not in the mood to deal with him. Jon wakes up during the fight and is taken back by what is happening. As Superman and the Eradicator fight however, the walls begin to crumble, and a piece is about to hit Jon and Lois. To Clark’s surprise, the Eradicator saves them. Stunned, Lois and Clark place Jon in the scanner, while The Eradicator watches on from behind.

Jon asks how long the scan will take, and the family discuss how worried they are about the changes happening to Jon. That “sometimes you’re at risk of skinning your knee or hurting your head in a tree fall, other times you’re not”. That according to the scans, his bod is still adapting. In a moment of calm, Superman asks the Eradicator what he is doing here, let alone why his costume includes the emblem of the House of El, the Superman shield.

“We are here because we are fated to be here. After assimilating personal objects within your Fortress, we now wear your house symbol proudly. But before our mission to cross space and time to find you began…. There was a secret protocol. We were built to comply with while Krypton thrived. This protocol was created by General Zod. He christened us as his Eradicators. Our duty was to seek out and arrest Kryptonian lawbreakers on General Zod’s list… By whatever means necessary. General Zod directed us to draw out the lawbreaker’s life force and transfer them to a Phantom Zone Projector where they would await trial. Their bodies would be placed in cryo-chambers until their respective trials. In the weeks that followed, several assignments for General Zod took us to the far reaches of the planet. Upon returning from a stealth operation to Bokos General Zod had sanctioned. Krypton began to explode. Molten slag and subatomic organic matter of the planet burned through us, coating and bonding to our form. Wiping away all mechanical vestiges and leaving us in a non-descript humanoid shape. In those last horrific moments. We alone bore witness to the final fate of our world. The life force of a planet screaming. Lost and cold. Fragmented. Alone. No survivors. Or so we thought. We caught a glimpse of one lone rocket escaping the fiery cataclysm. And one protocol was all we had. Scour the galaxies, every solar system, every planet. Find the survivor. And let nothing get in our way. Then this solar system with the yellow sun drew our attention. We searched the first two planets closest to it and then the third. Finally discovering the first trace of Kryptonian DNA to be that of your son’s…. Which…. Unfortunately, has been tainted with your wife’s human side. For Krypton to truly be reborn in all its glory, our species needs to propagate. But to preserve the purity of the race, the Kryptonian genome needs to be uncorrupted. We shall start with your offspring and find a way to bolster his Kryptonian genome to subsume his human one”.

With this revelation, Clark is clearly not happy. This being, who claims to want to preserve the Kryptonian race, has plans to harm Jon because he is a hybrid. While they talk, and things are clearly getting heated, Krypto the dog comes into the room. As the Eradicator prepares to ingest Jon, Krypto dives in the way and is swallowed whole. Clark begins fighting the Eradicator, as Jon kneels, and picks up Krypto’s cape. Tears in his eyes, and now visibly upset, Jon marches towards battle, holding the cape tightly.

Clark and Eradicator continue to fight, slowly destroying the Fortress as they go. Jon says to Lois that he had promised to himself that after Goldie, he wouldn’t kill, but right now he wants to help. Lois comforts him;

“Jon. Don’t Listen to it. Listen to me. You have the best of both worlds inside you. You can be great. Choose to be”.

Jon zips up his jacket, uniting the two halves of the S shield, attaches Krypto’s cape to the back and charges in to help his father. In a moment of unity, and a stunning two page spread, Jon and Clark punch The Eradicator square in the face.

The Eradicator begins to burst with energy, and Clark tells Jon and Lois to get down. In a burst of fire, the Eradicator reveals that while watching Krypton explode, he absorbed the souls of the dying, and they are now slowly bursting out of him.

It cuts to a bar in Metropolis run by Bibbo. While Bibbo and Hacken are arm wrestling, they start discussing the collection of Superman memorabilia, and its latest addition of a moon rock in the bar, Hacken stating that it’s more of a shire. “When someone dies they ain’t coming back.” Suddenly, there is a rumbling from above, as the energy bursts into the bar, and Clark, Lois and Jon land on the pool table. Lois notes that something is wrong, Jon and Clark are both in pain. She realises that the moon rock has to contain Kryptonite. The souls of the lost Kryptonians fill the room, slowly taking over Hacken. They seem to be drawn to the Kryptonite in the moon stone, as though it is calling them home. Slowly, they begin to take over Clark as well. As they try to take him away, Clark sees his father. His human father, who imparts to him some advice;

“It’s the duty of the living to carry on the name of those of us who can’t so we can rest easy… So that you can be free”.

The souls of the Kryptonians calm down and finally seem to relax, as the Eradicator bursts in and assimilates the souls once more. Superman scoops up Lois and Jon, getting away from the bar, as the Eradicator pursues behind across the water. Jon attempts to give them some coverage by using his heat vision to create some steam. It doesn’t work however, and the Eradicator manages to blow them out of the sky. In a panic, Superman gets into the local Aquatic Research port and steals a small, high density submarine. Packing both Jon and Lois inside, as he flies off to the moon. Getting the Eradicator away from the people below.

An excited Jon points out the lunar lander as they fly by, but their destination is a place created by Batman. The Batcave on the Moon! Complete with mechanical Bat guards. Jon excitedly asks if they are going to team up with the Justice League to take the Eradicator down. Clark’s response is very accurate and telling;

“No. Jon. This is a Kryptonian matter… A family affair. The League suspects you have powers and I don’t want to involve them at this point. And to be honest, I’m not ready for you to grow up so fast and step into that world. It was risky enough zipping around Metropolis”.

Clark’s fears go beyond just people getting hurt. He want’s Jon to grow up safe and happy, but most importantly, to grow up at his own rate. To learn about his powers, his views and beliefs at his own rate. To push him into the full Justice League experience right now, it robs him of having the choice to just lead a normal life later on if he chooses to. However, it’s not long before the Eradicator arrives, and declares that Jon needs to be Eradicated for the good of Krypton. The battle continues as Jon and Lois run for cover. While Clark tries to fight him off, the Eradicator gets closer and closer to Jon. As he is about to reach Jon, Clark jumps in the way and is absorbed by the Eradicator. Jon runs and tries to escape, while Lois tries to find someway to help. As the Eradicator is now holding Jon by the cape, Lois dives in wearing the Hell Bat armour, throwing the Eradicator aside. The appearance of the Hell Bat armour is an amazing call back to Tomasi and Gleason’s previous Batman and Robin run. During one of the last arcs of the book, Batman develops the armour in order to go into Apokolips and bring his son back to life. The use of the Hell Bat armour has now twice been used to emphasis the lengths a parent will go to for the sake of their children. The danger they will put themselves in for the people they love. Seeing the Eradicator hurt Los, forces Jon to leap into action;

“Stop hurting my mom – and bring my dad back now – before I turn you to toast!”

Meanwhile, inside the Eradicator’s body, Clark is talking with the lost souls inside. They decide to band together and rip themselves free of the Eradicator’s hold. As The Eradicator gets closer and closer to Lois and Jon, Clark bursts out of his chest, stating “I’ll take it from here”.

In the final part of the story arc, full of rage, Clark goes all out against The Eradicator. Taking the fight to the Moon’s surface and causing some serious damage. During the climax of the fight, Krypto begins to free himself from the Eradicator’s hold. With the help of Krypto, Superman lands the final blow to the Eradicator, blasting him with heat vision. Proclaiming that the ‘Legacy of the House of El’ belongs to Jon. The lost souls of Krypton leave, finally free, as the Eradicator says that he feels cold and alone. Asking if this is how Clark feels. As he leaves, Clark tells him that he’s never felt alone.

During the battle, the Lunar Lander was knocked out of place, and while the on board cameras capture the scene, Superman straightens the monument and introduces the world to their new Superman.

Back at the farm, Lois and Jon watch the ceremony in honour of Superman while they talk about the events. Jon momentarily calling Lois “Bat-Mom” as they settle down and watch on. Jon asks Lois if someday, he’ll be just like his father;

“No. You’ll be you, Jon. You’ll be even more amazing than you already are. But for now, the simple fact is when it comes to Superman, no one else even comes close.”

Later that night, Jon is sitting out of his bedroom window, when Clark comes in to see him. Clark hands him a Hamilton Huskers hat, and a pair of glasses. Stating that a lot of people are going to be asking questions about the Superboy seen alongside Superman, and that since he’s starting school next week, and that a disguise might be a good idea. Jon feels sad at the fact that there are now more secrets he has to keep, but Clark tells him that the best part about putting on the glasses, is getting to take them off.

“Truth. Justice… Family… I want to help you make that ‘S’ your own. I know now that there’s something I should have done with you in the first place.”

In a call back to the first issue, Clark tells him to “quickly and quietly, you’re coming with me”. As they arrive the Justice League Watchtower, offering to help repair the Lunar Cave, and introducing the team to Superboy.

This first arc is a fantastic introduction to the book’s dynamic moving forward. Setting up the ideas of what it means to live up to the ‘S’ shield. The responsibility of having powers and the freedom of choice.

Our Town (Issue #7)

Issue #7 is a one and done story, but one that adds so many dimensions to the everyday lives of the Family. The issue opens with Superman looking over the world, having just helped out those on the space station. The next few pages show him going around different towns, helping the other League members before finally arriving back at the farm. He says him to Lois and Jon, with Lois telling him that tonight is the last night for the Hamilton County Fair, and that since he’s working so much, she plans on taking him. Clark comments that it sounds fun, and wants to tag along, to the surprise of both Jon and Lois.

“This is our home and maybe it’s time we start living like it.”

Lois makes Clark promise that since they are having a day together, he can’t do any ‘Superman-ing’, Clark promises, even giving her his cape.

The family arrive at the carnival and are overjoyed at the amount of people and fun surrounding them. They run into Kathy who invites them to come by the Blue-Ribbon Contest and check out their cow. Lois says they will come by, and Kathy leaves telling Jon that she likes his glasses. Meanwhile, the ticket booth is being watched by a group of ill-intentioned teenagers, planning to steal the admission money. The family continue to have fun, Jon failing to knock the bottles down in a booth, when they stumble upon a booth showing science projects from Jon’s school. Clark and Lois now meeting Jon’s science teacher. His teacher, Tony Martinez, comments on how good of a student Jon is, even if he is a bit of a daydreamer. Clark thanks the teacher for giving Jon an extension, and as they leave, the thugs are putting on clown masks as a disguise. One of them bumping into Clark while on the way. Clark uses his X-Ray vision to see what’s in the clown’s bag, realising that he’s up to no good. The family grab some food, Jon happily chowing down on a burger as they go and check in on Kathy and her Grandfather. The two families celebrate Kathy and Cobb’s win with a glass of milk as the festival fireworks are about to start.

Clark sees the clowns sneaking off towards the admission booth and makes an excuse to get out of there. Jon shouting after him that he promised to go on the roller coaster with them as the fireworks reach their peak. Clark tells them he’ll meet them there and rushes off. Cut to a few minutes later and Lois and Jon are sat on the roller coaster hoping Clark will arrive, who shows up just in time. As the ride starts, the ticket booth forgets their microphone is on, with the emplyees inside discussing how some dark blue blur stopped a robbery a few minutes before. As the roller coaster goes up, and the conversation continues, Clarks face becomes more and more awkward, and Lois looks even more angry. The issue ends with the family at the peak of the roller coaster, fireworks surrounding them, and Jon and Clark shouting “Up, up and away!” as Lois screams “I knew it!”.

It’s a one-off issue, but beautiful in how it furthers the family dynamic, and showing Clark’s inherit want and need to do good, even in his days off. It’s the kind of one-off story you would want to see from a book following the family of Superman.