The Super Sons, aka Jon Kent and Damian Wayne, are at times best of friends, and at other times, beloved rivals. As the sons of Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne, respectively, Jon and Damian had major superhero shoes to fill. Together, they fought the forces of evil, tag-teamed, quarreled, snuck behind their parents’ backs, and united as brothers in the name of justice. However, things have gotten more complicated as Jon has aged rapidly into an eighteen-year-old and taken the mantle as Superman in Metropolis, leaving a still thirteen-year-old Damian on his own.
But now, the young bash brothers of the DC Comics Universe have reunited in a one-shot series for one more grand adventure to save time and space in Superman & Robin Special #1. This time, they fight together, not as the Super Sons, but as Superman and Robin — although it might not be as much of a difference as they think.
The premise and basic plot of Superman & Robin Special #1 are straightforward. Damian, in typical fashion, drops in unexpectedly (in his Batman’s “borrowed” Hellbat suit), announcing that a creature from Superman’s mysterious Fortress of Solitude has broken loose and is aging as rapidly as Jon did. It’s a kooky premise that eventually becomes something far bigger and with higher stakes, typical of the Super Sons series. However, there is a little more melancholy behind their story this time which surprisingly works well.
Although Superman and Robin Special #1 is a one-shot series, it’s a sequel to Super Sons. As such, writer Peter J. Tomasi is at the helm of the storytelling — and it’s strong storytelling, as always. Jon and Damian still have that same love-hate banter, naturalistic speech patterns, rapid-fire wit, and snark-to-snark combat. This approach shows that this may be a new chapter for the boys, but age difference aside, their rapport is as strong as ever — even if they still get on each others’ nerves.
Artistically, series mainstay Victor Bogdanovic has not lost his touch. The sudden change in Jon’s physique with his rapid aging to his late teens demonstrates his good grip on anatomy. In superhero comics, it can be difficult to portray the awkward and lanky proportions common in male teenage bodies while still getting across that Jon has a heroic build in the making — but Bogdanovic doesn’t falter there. The action scenes here are top-notch. The story pulls no punches either — there’s time-warping worm-holes, alien creatures, mecha robots, and fights between nazis and soldiers of the Allies straight from WWII. Superman & Robin Special#1 is wild, wacky, and irreverent with a sense of nostalgia and whimsy.
At the core of Tomasi’s story is Jon’s wistful sadness. He mulls over his lost childhood, lamenting how quickly he aged. He watches cartoons and immediately jumps at the prospect of being with Damian to relive his youth. Damian grapples with the loss of the relationship they had when they were the same age. Both boys express their sadness with their relationships with their fathers, both thrown into adult positions so quickly. Damian especially misses talking to his father — though he will deny ever saying that. This sort of tenderness is a departure from the usual upbeat tone of the series and is fitting for the sudden maturity of the characters in a way that feels natural and believable.
Superman & Robin Special #1 is a bittersweet ride that’s full of ups, downs, and backflips. Although it’s more sentimental than its Super Sons predecessor, it stays faithful to the ultimately optimistic tone of the series. This issue gives the Super Sons and its audience a chance to grow up while staying spontaneous and watching cartoons.
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