Tom King corrects one of many nice errors of DC’s current previous, however someway comes up with one thing terribly worse. Dark Crisis: World And not using a Justice League – Superman #1 accommodates tales from the respective dream worlds of Superman and Aquaman after they had been trapped there by the Nice Darkness and/or Pariah within the opening pages of Dark Crisis. It is nonetheless unclear what precisely these dream worlds are, however they appear to point out preferrred futures for the Justice League, locations the place previous errors are corrected and vibrant and pleased futures may be fulfilled. For Superman, not less than within the story written by Tom King and illustrated by Chris Burnham, meaning Superman will get to reside in a world the place he watches his son Jon develop up.
The ageing of Jon Kent from precocious super-kid to Legion of Tremendous-Heroes-aged grownup stays a controversial choice throughout the DC fanbase, and the Dark Crisis one-shot looks like it might be the proper method to rectify that story choice, not less than quickly. Sadly, it is written by Tom King, the person who famously turned Adam Unusual right into a conflict prison, Kyle Rayner right into a prisoner of conflict, Mister Miracle right into a soldier ordering massacres, Dick Grayson right into a spy preventing a shadow conflict, and put Batman by way of a “Warfare of Jokes and Riddles.” So, you may guess the route that King went when given the chance to go away his mark on Jon Kent.
On the onset of King’s Superman story, Jon Kent hears the voices of 1,000,000 individuals crying out then going silent as Darkseid destroys their planet. At first, Superman stresses to his son that he ought to strive ignoring the voices and concentrate on serving to how he can on Earth, however Jon is noble like his dad and can not help however get entangled within the conflict effort – bringing his father into the conflict too. As Jon grows up and repeatedly heads off into house to combat, typically with brutal penalties, Superman realizes that he cannot cease his son from rising into the person he is meant to be… a soldier preventing in a endless conflict. That is all spun as being constructive – Superman watched his son develop up and has a number of difficult emotions about that, whereas Jon is clearly a extra ideal-driven and fewer world-weary model of his father, a boy who hasn’t compromised his beliefs in the way in which Superman did to guard his household.
Basically, I am bored with King taking DC characters and at all times inspecting them by way of the lens of conflict. Sure, King has a background within the navy and sure, King has truly skilled the horrors of wars however that non-public historical past does not have to be mirrored in almost each character he writes. Not solely does King virtually at all times body conflict in an oddly constructive mild (the wars he writes are terrible, however the individuals who combat in them are noble and resolute and morally righteous), however he additionally bends characters to form his perspective. On this story, it is Superman who’s sacrificed at King’s altar, with the paragon of Fact and Justice compromising his morals and values (and sacrificing untold worlds within the course of) to uphold a truce conserving his household secure. I am not a Superman purist, however I dislike how the story frames Superman as flawed in order that his son can turn into a greater Superman, as a result of Jon Kent is a Superman who goes to conflict. Truthfully, if Overseas Legionnaire Jon Kent is what would occur if Superman had these additional years elevating him, then give me the timeline the place Jon Kent is kidnapped from his summer season trip together with his grandfather and tortured for years on Earth-3.
At the very least Chris Burnham continues to be on the high of his recreation. He attracts anguished variations of Superman and Jon very nicely. There is a sequence the place Superman reveals to Jon he is aware of about Darkseid’s massacres which works solely as a result of we see in Superman’s physique language his remorse and we see’s Jon’s seen rage and instant realization his rash phrases damage his invincible position mannequin. If Tom King is useless set on making each DC character really feel the ache of conflict, I petition that Chris Burnham draw all of it so readers can actually really feel the identical anguish and heartbreak the characters expertise.
For many who do not need to see a superhero’s idyllic future current their kids going off to combat in infinite wars, Brandon Thomas and Fico Ossio ship a terrific backup story involving Aquaman’s daughter getting married. Ossio’s paintings is a bit muddled at instances, however I actually favored that Aquaman’s deepest goals contain his household being complete and pleased as a substitute of being anguished and deciding they’ve an ethical obligation to wage conflict.
Finally, your enjoyment of Dark Crisis: World And not using a Justice League – Superman #1 shall be dependent in your emotions of previous Tom King comics. If you happen to like King’s commentary on wartime framed by way of superheroes, then this comedian will certainly be your pace. However if you happen to’re bored with the glorification of “simply wars,” as a substitute of acknowledging that conflict is nothing however a repressive instrument that churns by way of harmless lives and sullies the morals of anybody it touches, you are in all probability not going to love watching Jon Kent develop as much as be part of the conflict effort.
Revealed by DC Comics
On June 12, 2022
Written by Tom King
Artwork by Chris Burnham
Colours by Adriano Lucas
Letters by Troy Peteri
Cowl by Chris Burnham and Adriano Lucas