Superman #10

Written by: Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason

Art by: Patrick Gleason

Coloured by: John Kalisz

Lettered by: Rob Leigh

In the previous issue, having found themselves in a strange, dinosaur filled world, Clark and Jon search for Jon's science project to return them home. Allying themselves with an American soldier who had been stranded there since World War 2, Superman and son head to the north side of the island where they hope to find their way home. After fighting their way through several waves of dinosaurs and fantastical creatures, the trio discover the device among the remains of several tanks and planes, under the watchful eye of a large white ape. As Superman wrestles with the ape, Jon grabs hold of the device, returning them home but leaving the soldier behind, who instead chooses to sacrifice himself to ensure that no monsters make it through the portal.

This issue mostly follows Jon as he essentially lives through a more child friendly version of Batman v Superman. Accidentally incinerating the land around an old house that he had been exploring, Jon discovers that the house was owned by the Wayne's when he is suddenly abducted by Damien Wayne, the current Robin, who had apparently been watching Jon for some time. Realizing that his son has made a massive mistake, Batman scolds him and tolls him to let Jon go, but unfortunately Superman shows up, enraged by his son's abduction. They calm him down, and Jon gets to interact with Alfred, whom takes to him due to his manners almost immediately, as well as interacting more with Damien. Damien's insults and taunting eventually get the best of Jon when he continues to bring up the family cat that Jon accidentally killed when he first started using heat vision, and Jon punches him in the gut, instigating a fight that eventually ends with Damien holding a kryptonite batterang over Jon. About to strike when Superman and Batman show up, enraged, leading into the next issue where they will likely teach the children to get along. This issue rang a little odd to me, with Damien apparently being willing to wholesale kill Jon, but having not read a lot with Damien in it, I find it hard to say whether this is truly out of character for him.

We are back with Patrick Gleason on art, and it shows in the little details. The world is detailed and interesting, the characters have more definition, with veins popping out of Superman's neck when he is mad, and there's just an overall bump in consistency that is nice. Some of the expressions on the faces don't seem to match the dialogue that they are attached to at times, but it's a minor issue that could be related to a number of things. The most notable thing in the issue is probably the last page where, once again, we are shown Superman and Batman in a fairly terrifying light, angry fathers completely obscured by shadow with only their eyes and symbols glowing. It's a great image, and very reminiscent of the scene with the trinity in the first issue.

Ultimately, I did enjoy this issue, even if some of the plot seemed a bit contrived and some of the characters seemed to act a little odd. It's interesting to see Damien and Jon interact for the first time, both of them not only being from different circumstances of life but also having such opposing personalities. Until now all we had was their father's relationship to go on, but both sons are distinct enough from their fathers to create a unique and interesting new dynamic for future issues as well as their own series.