Superman: Son of Kal-El #4

Superman: Son of Kal-El #4 was another great issue of Tom Taylor's fantastic new series. Taylor has been hitting all the right notes on this title so far. Getting DC fans to accept a new Superman is a formidable task, but I trust that if anyone can do it, it would be Tom Taylor. And so far, Taylor is proving me right. Read Full Review

This might be about to become one of the most important books in the DCU, but long before that it was already one of the best. Read Full Review

Superman: Son of Kal-El #4is a stressfully compelling story as Jon Kent faces his most dire challenges yet. Taylor continues to write Jon Kent with keen empathic understanding as he gives more challenges for the young Superman, and the art and colors by Di Niculou and Eltaeb continue to immerse readers in his thrilling world. With great lettering by Sharpe to boot, it's another excellent issue in this comic series you don't want to miss. Read Full Review

I don't love the art in Superman: Son of Kal-El #4, but I do love the way Tom Taylor is continuing to develop this story and fully flesh out Jon Kent, both as Superman now that his father has left the world and as a man in his own right. Read Full Review

Superman deals with the fallout of the previous issue, while building his relationships with the larger cast (both old and new). Tom Taylor is carving out a very new world and status quo for Jonathan Kent, and it seems like it will be an essential read. Read Full Review

Daniele Di Nicuolo's art style works brilliantly with this story. The energy of the action comes across in the art and the details are amazing. Read Full Review

Superman: Son Of Kal-El #4 feels like Taylor's way of reassuring readers that Jon is just as good a Superman as his father. It works splendidly; he also builds up the threat of Gamorra and shows just how good Bendix is at playing this game. Di Nicuolo's art looks great and really helps the script along. This is a fun comic that makes a case for why Jon deserves to be Superman. Read Full Review

Some things feel really off about the progression of this issue but once we leave the Kent Farm the book feels like it gets back on track and I enjoyed seeing the further adventures of Jon figuring out what kind of Superman he's going to be and seeing who else is going to show up in his life to help him along the way. The art is great and I like a lot of elements here, I just wish the first quarter of the book didn't feel so weird and out of place at times. Read Full Review

Bendix is proving to be a formidable villain and a nice equivalent of Lex Luthor for Jon. It'll be interesting to see where Taylor takes this new rivalry while fleshing out Jon's backstory beyond what's already been spoiled. Read Full Review

A stronger entry in the series so far, this shows the potential of what the series could be. We just hope it's an indication of the overall direction and not just a fluke. Read Full Review

A lot of nice character work and story set-up in this issue. I think this series is still trying to find its heart, but it is definitely well on its way. Read Full Review

Maybe Jon will be scrutinized for this attack on a government, even an 'evil' government. Maybe Jon will wonder if he is being manipulated by Jay. Three issues ago, Jon wanted to nothing more than go to college. Now he is attacking political leaders on the other side of the world. I know that this middle-aged man is not the target audience here. But I can hope for good story-telling. And I trust that Taylor will make politics and ambitions not seem so black and white as he has so far. That said, we are 4 issues in. I'm still waiting. Read Full Review

Dave

Oct 16, 2021

Read it early another stellar issue and cool twist with As always it looses .5 because Jon is not ten

cincyfan

Oct 24, 2021

Another great issue!

Psycamorean

Oct 19, 2021

I read this nice and early so I could review it early, so I could hope to miss out on the terrible, toxic discourse this series creates because a minority of idiots decide to keep reading a book that sends them for a spin for daring to be written by someone who's not as idiotic as them. The optimist in me doesn't see much that could be potentially disagreeable here, even from their idiotic perspectives. I imagine most of the negative reviews here will ignore most of this issue, and make their reviews all about the news from DC that Jon is bisexual. All I have to say about that is, being homophobic is bad. As for this issue, it's good. I didn't like it as much as the last few issues, since it didn't really progress the plot all that much. I' m a little whatever on Tom Taylor bringing back his Suicide Squad OCs. They're not my favorite characters, but I don't dislike them either. I hope this is leading to something like the tensions that arose in the latest Action Comics arc. I like when Superman has to navigate geo-politics. It's always interesting, especially since Superman is such a wholesome character. The shades of grey clash really nicely with this type of character. more

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FuzzyCracker - Oct 19, 2021

Ha! Well said. A well-put murder of the perpetually outraged.

Psycamorean - Oct 19, 2021

You can tell which ones read my review before writing theirs, and had to shift what they were going to say in order to not fall into the expected trope.

FuzzyCracker - Oct 20, 2021

They all like to read from the same script. They're NPCs, incapable of original thoughts.

Psycamorean - Oct 20, 2021

Their media analysis is super cringe.

WhistleBlower

Oct 19, 2021

Everything is pretty solid here except the coloring. Don't know what nepotism hire DC made here, but the shit I took last night was a better coloring job.

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Psycamorean - Oct 19, 2021

Did you hear? The colorist is comicsgate and publicly ranted about this comic, so he's most likely fired. https://bleedingcool.com/comics/gabe-eltaeb-not-coloring-superman-son-of-kal-el-5-after-dc-comments/

Danilo Silva

Oct 19, 2021

The story in this issue was a little rushed and I didn't like the art, but enjoyed Aerie and Wink appearing and the final let me curious dor the next one.

fvkcrsh

Oct 20, 2021

Really enjoyed seeing Jon trying to live up to Clark in this one, probably the weakest issue so far tho

Gorr

Oct 20, 2021

Art feels rushed in this issue. I am enjoying the story so far but I feel like too many pages and a great deal of focus are being placed on Jon and Jay's relationship as opposed to fleshing out this new role for Jon as the "Superman" of Earth. It seems like the next issue (annual #1) will introduce Lex Luthor into the mix, which could make things more interesting. 7.5/10.

Hex

Nov 03, 2021

Like most people have been saying, this is the weakest issue in the run so far. I've never seen the artist before but it seems like they are trying REALLY hard to emulate Ryan Ottley. Ottley is a fine artist but I don't think his style fits Marvel or DC very well and neither does this. I like seeing Jon interact with Justice League members (Wally!) so that makes me happy. The Guardians of the Globe/Teen Team stand-ins aren't my favorite. We'll see where things go. There is only "hot button issue" I will touch on. If you have a problem with Jon being bi-sexual, you are an overly sensitive, sheltered, phobic child. Grow up, this is normal. Jon is separate from Clark. When Clark comes back, he's still going to be married to Lois. To those comp laining, "just make new characters, don't DESTROY established characters!" You bigoted idiots don't read the books that you complain need to exist. Tim being bi, Kate Kane being gay, the list goes on and they are granted, fictional but they are people. Get over yourselves. Respect them. more

Jawsh

Dec 16, 2021

Pace is off on this one, feeling clunky. Tie it up together Taylor! John Timm's art is also sorely missed.

Gavan

Oct 19, 2021

This issue was just okay. Not really much else to say about it, but not having Timms’ art definitely didn’t do the issue any favors

Mout

Oct 19, 2021

Weakest issue so far

DiegoLDUganda

Oct 26, 2021

I've expected better for a first encounter of Bendix and Jon, it's suppose that he will be his "Luthor" but I did'nt felt anything about that.

Lal

Oct 19, 2021

It's probably the weakest issue in the run so far. Everything felt both rushed and anti-climatic. A lot of things happened and a lot of characters made guest appearances, but most of them were meaningless, with the exception of Jon meeting Wally, which was actually nice. Jon is young and inexperienced and is making mistakes, and it all makes sense, but his actions still felt very childish, and Lois just allowing him to do it was also weird. I still think it's a good series, but this issue was a bit disappointing.

Stormwrath

Oct 19, 2021

The writing is actually great, this book has some great moments and what Tom Taylor is doing works. But the art is not great at all, really weak when compared to John Timms. It hurts do give this rating to a book I really enjoy, but it was hard to deal with the art

retcon_D

Nov 27, 2021

Sadly going to be dropping this title now. These last two issues have been really just...meh, and I expected something far better, especially with Taylor on writing duties.

daspidaboy

Oct 19, 2021

It's not bad, and its pretty interesting but the coloring is pretty bad if you ask me.

egonnn244

Oct 25, 2021

"I won't do anything stupid..." How atrocious is the art in this book? My goodness! It can't get worse, right? Then I see Aerie's face. And then Wink's. Who the hell, in their right mind, greenlit this? It seems that this book is important enough for DC to have two separate press releases, but not enough to make an actual effort to have consistently good art. Go figure. I'll give you the opening sequence though, that was cool. But then what? He has powers too? And he's from Gamorra too? And he knows Wink and the Aerie? And he was in the same exact school that Jon went to? And on the exact same roof that Jon landed after saving a boat full of Gamorran people? Well, are you now Mr. Deus Ex Coincidence Machina. Or an evil genius tha t planned all of this? What's that? Right, he's rainbowy, he can't be evil. By the way, post-human? What the hell happened to good old meta-human? Lastly, showing little Jon Kent is an act of pure evil at this point. Feels like rubbing it in, like salt on the wound. You know he'll never be back, certainly not after issue #5. Yeah, pure Evil. With capital E. more

cumgurglinrhino

Oct 31, 2021

Still not loving this series as much as I wish I was, but I'll give this first arc a chance to play out. Hopefully Taylor has something else up his sleeve. Glad people are enjoying it though.

Merlyn

Oct 19, 2021

Another boring issue with awful art in which Taylor decides to insert his annoying creations from his Suicide Squad. And I love how after the copied Faultline from PKJ's Tao-La, now he's copied Hickman with "post-humans". This guy doesn't have one inch of an original bone in his body, he just copies what other writers are doing and just panders to his twitter crowd, that's his whole career right there after Injustice. Oh, and don't think that the fact that his LGBT creations are "post-humans" is just a tiny bit of innocent coincidence. If you know anything about Tom Taylor and his ideological leanings, that is decidedly NOT a coincidence, he really thinks that the future is a green utopia (we'll see more of that later in his run where Jon i s turned into Greta Thunberg), where LGBT people are the future and straight people are just a thing of the past and where capitalism will hopefully be abolished (I'm making a safe bet that sooner or later Jon will fight capitalism, too, because that's another of Tom Taylor's ideological obsessions). And you can be blind and still see that Bendix is just a parallel for Trump because, again, that's another of Taylor's obsessions and the fact that Trump lost the election hasn't cured his last stage TDS. This book is awful and is only going to get worse and worse. more

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Dave - Oct 19, 2021

I though Bendid was a parellel for Bendis , the real enemy of Jon

Merlyn - Oct 19, 2021

It was that, too, I think, he chose Bendix as his enemy because the name is very tongue in cheek. But this issue I could feel how Taylor was imagining a dialogue with Trump right there, it's the type of stuff he always complains about on twitter. With the lying and the refugees, all that stuff.

Nickweiser - Oct 20, 2021

You understand things. I like it.

Merlyn - Oct 20, 2021

Thanks, I appreciate it!

SenpaifenixJäger - Oct 21, 2021

I am with the firm belief that Taylor steals idea from fanfics but from the worst so that no one discovers it and mixes it up as you said well with stories plagiarized from other authors. Zero creativity in this man.

SenpaifenixJäger

Oct 20, 2021

Expect better in this issue. This is nothing interesting, boring to die for. And it is this type of writing by which one stops buying the series.

Silver Rocket

Oct 20, 2021

Tom Taylor can’t write a compelling story. At least, I could laugh at his zombie stories, but this book is just boring.

fearUhavemeisenough

Oct 19, 2021

Boring subject, writing is not juvenile, it is childish to die for. And this is going to be the new superman? it's totally disappointing and the art gives the perspective that they want to give a touch of the Invincible comic, but in my opinion it's pretty bad.

Valiant Son

Oct 25, 2021

This is bad. This is really, really bad. The story is almost non-existent; the dialogue cringey; the line-work poor. Honestly, the colouring isn't great, but it's the least of the problems with this issue.

Raging Rainbow

Nov 13, 2021

We continue with the modern gay romance, minus the romance, in this story as we see Jon and Jay continue to get closer. If they're going to end up together it would be nice to see them actually show some amount of attraction for each other. Or does Tom Taylor think gay people only try to date their friends? https://youtu.be/uWcevtJsVvs

DoorMan

Oct 19, 2021

Being triggered, nice and early, is bad for your health.

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Psycamorean - Oct 20, 2021

Cope.

DoorMan - Oct 21, 2021

"...so I could hope to miss out on the terrible, toxic discourse this series creates because a minority of idiots decide to keep reading a book that sends them for a spin for daring to be written by someone who's not as idiotic as them", well that didn't age well lol

Psycamorean - Oct 21, 2021

I agree, you keep reading.

DoorMan - Oct 21, 2021

XD

egonnn244 - Oct 25, 2021

Why would one go about reviewing a book by insulting others?

DoorMan - Oct 31, 2021

I am still trying to figure that part out Egonnn244.

S.J

Mar 15, 2022

Is it comic book ? I think not.