Superman #3

Written by: Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason

Art by: Jorge Jimenez

Coloured by: Alejandro Sanchez

Lettered by: Rob Leigh

In the last issue, Superman and his son Jon respond to an emergency call from a nuclear submarine, protecting it from a giant monster being controlled by some type of crystal device. Superman successfully taught Jon how to focus his heat vision, and they both returned home, not seeing a shape form from some blood Jon spilled during the battle. As Jon was sitting in a tree with his friend, the girl next door, however, he accidentally destroys the branch that he was sitting on, falling down and hitting his head, rendering himself unconscious. This story picks up soon after, with Superman carrying an unconscious Jon, accompanied by Lois, to the Fortress of Solitude to do a thorough examination of his health and general biology.

Superman and Lois want to do a full examination of Jon's physiology to determine why his powers seem to be so inconsistent, one second he is unbreakable, the next he is skinning his knee. Lacking the proper Kryptonian technology at his mountain base, seen in the Superman: Lois and Clark series, Superman decides to take him to the Fortress of Solitude. Before they can begin the examination, however, they are met by a surprise guest, Superman's old foe, the Eradicator. A fight ensues, and when a piece of the fortress begins to fall on Lois and Jon, the Eradicator steps in and prevents it from hitting the ground, saving their lives. We then get some back story from the Eradicator, who reveals that he has made it his mission to protect the last remaining Kryptonian DNA, and as Jon's DNA is tainted by being human, that half of him must be eradicated so that the Kryptonian half may propagate. It's not an amazing issue, but it shows Superman dealing with one of the more interesting things that he has dealt with since returning, encountering his old villains and not knowing how to react to them in this new universe.

The artwork is good, although occasionally some of the faces seem a bit odd. The Eradicator in particular has an unusual, almost fluid style that very much fits the character and is reminiscent of 90's style posing and “dynamic” movement. Beyond that, the colours are vibrant, the panel layout is interesting and the artwork is just all around well done and pleasing to the eye.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this issue. While it wasn't the most interesting or action packed issue, it was an entertaining stop-gap, and if Eradicators plan succeeds could have lasting implications for Jon. It will be nice to finally get some answers about what is going on and why Jon's powers seem so inconsistent, and I believe we will have some of these answers in the coming issues. It was a fun read, and I'm looking forward to future issues.