Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils by Carlo Barberi
Inks by Matt Santorelli
Colored by Protobunker
In the previous issue, The Super-Sons confront Rex and his band of kid-alien villains who have plans to destroy planets one-by-one before conquering earth. This issue begins, Super-boy reminisces that this was supposed to a summer filled with adventures and fun. However, fighting Rex and his gang of neophyte alien villains isn’t fun in the moment. His inner monologue summarizes their current situation: If they use his father’s Dimensional Hypercube to get back to earth, they’d bring the alien-villains with them; therefore they have to stick it out and fight. The battle rages. Despite a seemingly overwhelming victory by the good guys, Rex gets the upper hand, and he gains control of The Hypercube. He traps Damian and Jonathan in a Nowhere Dimension and then threatens to expedite his plans to overthrow Earth and all other galaxies.
I was very entertained by this issue because it highlights what the Super Sons do best: they work together as a team utilizing their individual strengths to find victory. Damian has his Damian moments of over-confidence mixed with well-timed expert planning. Super-boy saves Damian with his advanced power-set. And, their cohorts provide some needed backup when the battle rages heavy. Probably the most interesting plot point for me was when Damian and Jonathan become overzealous leading to them being caught in a trap set by Rex. It felt very young-Lex Luthor-like to outsmart everyone with a backup plan.
The art has some highlights, as well. I was impressed by a full panel showing all the villains, Doomsdame, Bane, Kid-chemo and the rest fighting the team of heroes. It felt like a classic comic book splash page kinetically representing these powerful entities battling each other. Another highlight occurs later in the issue when the lens zeroes in on a few characters, in battle, showing amazing details and capturing the emotions of the moment on the character’s faces.
Overall = 9.5
Final Impressions
This issue was the most enjoyable one in this current 12-issue maxi series due to the action leading toward a definitive end. The Super-sons are at their best when their backs are to the wall. Damian is more ruthless, and Jonathan’s powers are highlighted, but mostly, they remain consistent as the good-hearted superheroes. I highly recommend this book to fans of the Super-sons and DC Comics.
Comic Book Corps 