REVIEW: Superman Unlimited #14
Superman Unlimited #14, “Hero Time” answers a lot of questions that’s been surrounding young Jon Kent since his arrival. Unfortunately those answers may have come too late for Tomorrow Man and Steelworks to truly help the young superhero.
The standard cover is by Taurin Clarke. Menacingly hovering over the defeated forms of Steel, Superwoman, and Tomorrow Man, young Jon wields Steel’s hammer in front of a burning Steelworks. Entitled “Reign’s End” gives strong indications this story arc isn’t going to conclude well.
Raiko’s variant is a great, highly detailed look of Tomorrow Man. Who knows how long Jon Kent will keep this alter ego going, but for now we get to enjoy this really cool character design.
The variant by Juan Ferreira continues his “Injustice” style video game homages. This time the match is between young Jon and Tomorrow Man. Their health bars suggest a pretty even match up, but young Jon seems to have landed a blow to Tomorrow Man which could turn things around.
Stephanie Hans’s variant is another great depiction of Tomorrow Man. This time he’s flying through Smallville as the water tower indicates. There’s something to be said about seeking someplace away from the buzz of everyday life and Smallville is definitely that refuge for the Kent family.
The Supergirl Movie variant is by Mitch Gerads. The battle between Supergirl and Krem of the Yellow Hills gets reimagined in anticipation of their live action confrontation. With the movie about to release worldwide, it won’t be long until we can see this scene on the big screen.
Artists Lucas Meyer and David Messina get colored by Giuliano Peratelli for the interior art. This art team does a fantastic job conveying the emotional struggles each character faces this issue. This is something to be said since Tomorrow Man has his face covered the entire time. The coloring really stands out as well between red sunlit rooms and rampant green kryptonite growths. There’s some fun panel play as the DCU apparently has a Hero ID app that at least the citizens of Metropolis use to see “Who’s Who”. All this and some well executed action sequences really make the look of this issue pop in all the right ways.
Dan Slott is lettered by Dave Sharpe for Superman Unlimited #14. This story arc takes a drastic but believable turn as we discover the truth about young Jon Kent’s existence. Before that big reveal, however, Tomorrow Man’s suspicions continually grow as young Jon’s behavior and reactions to certain encounters keep not adding up. There’s some great dialogue between Lois, Martha, and Jonathan that’s reminiscent of how Clark goes to his parents for advice from time to time that indicate Lois’s concerns over the entire situation as well. In spite of all the suspicions, we get to see Tomorrow Man act as a decent mentor while trying to wrap his head around what everything that’s happening means. Things seem to go fairly well until an incident at Steelworks triggers young Jon to a breaking point. With only one issue left until the next big crossover arc, it’ll be fascinating to see how everything plays out.
(8/10) Superman Unlimited #14 felt more rushed than the rest of the arc. Even with it being well constructed, it seems this story could have benefited from one more issue to get us where this one ends. That being said, it’s still a great read and the lead up to the young Jon’s reveal was well executed.
