Hello everyone! I am back from a very relaxing vacation and that means it is time to catch up with everyone's favorite Kryptonian. This week I am covering Superman Volume 2: Trials of the Super Son. This volume includes issues #7-13 (I am going to include the Annual #1), today I am going to cover #7-9. There are a few smaller stories in this volume so likely I am going to break this post up into 3 parts.
Issue #7: Our Town: Superman is up in space, helping to repair the solar panels on a space station. He gets done with that quickly so he goes off to help all his super friends. Everyone says thanks, except Batman, who tells him if he needs help, he will ask for it (Classic Batman).
The sun comes up in Metropolis and Superman says good morning to his city. Upstate Clark walks into his house to see Lois and Jon enjoying the morning too. Lois tells Clark it is the last night of the Hamilton County Fair, so she was going to take Jon while Clark is working (aka, being Superman). Clark thinks the fair sounds fun and wants to join. Lois is doubtful that they can make it through the day without any "Superman-ing." Clark promises that he just wants a fun day out with the family. He even hands his cape over to Lois.
Later at the fair, Jon wants to play all the games. The place is full of people enjoying games and rides. Clark and Lois are of course very cute while flirting. Jon runs into his friend Kathy. She has a cow entered in the blue ribbon contest and asks Jon to come to the judging. He is about to hard pass when his mom interrupts promising they will be there.
Back at the ticket booth three shady characters are making their way into the fair. Jon is playing a game where he for sure hits the milk bottles but they don't go down. Jon is feeling disappointed and even more so when they come across a booth (really it is a whole tent) set up by his school's science teacher. Inside we see kids doing some science (the classic volcano is featured). The teacher is cool and happy to meet Jon's parents.
Those three shady people are setting up to do something bad. They have clown masks, guns, and radios. Our super family bumps into a woman selling subscriptions to the local newspaper. Lois stops to chat with her, while Clark and Jon head to get some cotton candy. One of the clown masked guys bumps into Clark and gets knocked down. Clark goes to help him up, but the jerk just gets up and speeds off calling Clark a "big hayseed." (Actually a pretty chill insult.)
Clark x-ray visions the guy's bag and person, seeing both his gun and something that looks like a spray canister of some kind. Clark moves to go after the guy, but Jon wants cotton candy and food. Clark listens with his super hearing to the guy, finding out they plan to hit the ticket booth when the fireworks start.
Clark is holding a ton of food while Jon eats. Lois catches up with them and they have missed the contest but are there just in time to see Kathy and her Grandpa (Cobb) have won. There is an announcement that the fireworks are about to start. Jon and fam catch up with Kathy and her grandpa, congratulating them on winning. Clark apologizes for being late and for that time he kind of told Cobb off for trying to take Jon to the hospital. At that moment the local pediatrician walks up. Jon is busy sharing his cotton candy with Kathy.
They all say cheers on some milk. Jon and Kathy are cute about milk mustaches. Clown guy runs by as there is an announcement for the five minute warning on the fireworks show. Clark excuses himself, claiming he is now lactose intolerant. Lois is dubious and Jon reminds him they still need to ride the roller coaster.
The clowns are about to "crack some heads." Clark is about to go to Superman mode but pauses looking at some medieval capes. At the roller coaster Lois and Jon are impatiently waiting for Clark. At the last second Clark arrives and is able to get on the ride. Lois asks if he got up to something and Clark tells her no. However, as the ride is making its way to the top, they can still hear the kids in the coaster booth talking. They report that some people tried to rob the ticket booth, but some hero in a medieval cape stopped the crooks and tied them up. They think maybe it is Batman, but the hero had heat vision and melted the crook's gun. Lois is making a face, but Jon being the best of all of us just says, "Up...up...and Away." Clark joins him on the away part while Lois just shouts, "I knew it."
Escape From Dinosaur Island, Part One: In the Fortress of Solitude, now located in the Arctic Circle (because there is only one Superman now), Clark and Jon (and Krypto) are all hanging out. Jon is working on his science fair project. Clark thinks it is a drone, but Jon explains he is building a flying saucer. Jon turns it on and it starts zooming around, flying right for the Crystal Font (basically the Superman Super computer). Krypto grabs it, but it has time to assimilate some of the crystals. There is a flash of lightning and our Super family is looking at a tropical island with a giant old timey war boat washed up on it.
They catch sight of Jon's science project flying off, but before they can catch up to it a really big fish jumps out and eats Superman as he pushes Jon and Krypto out of the way. Superman is about to heat vision his way out, but instead he touches the fish's literal heart and it spits him out. Allowing Superman the chance to make a super fun pun about a heart-to-heart conversation.
The father/son duo start walking around the beach, Superman recognizes the ship is a U.S. destroyer from World War II. He tells Jon to watch out for any unexploded shells. There is a tank on its side, Superman looks in and decides to seal it shut, so as to let the men who died there rest in peace. They also find a crashed Japanese plane. The pilot is also long dead.
They decide it is time to get off this island. They fly straight up but find that the clouds never seem to end and Superman cannot hear or see anything past them. Before they can worry too much about how weird that is, they are attacked again, this time by some ugly looking pterodactyls. There are a lot of them and Jon gets dragged off by one, while Superman is trying to fight two other ones. The fight is going well, until one catches Krypto off guard, eating him. Jon is understandably upset and forgets that he can't really properly fly declaring himself Super Boy as he attacks one of the pterodactyls. Of course Superman catches him before he hits the ground and out of the pterodactyl's mouth walks Krypto totally fine.
The trio walks on finding the remains of a t-rex that also still has the remains of a US pilot named John Cloud. They also find more battlefield crosses and as they work their way to high ground find the remains of a dog. As they get higher, they find a cave full of weapons and rations. The transporter device is nowhere to be found, but on the wall there is a story written by the last survivors and how they made their last stand.
Escape From Dinosaur Island, Part Two: Jon is asking his dad many questions about the message and mostly we figure out that Cloud is probably the one who wrote it, made all the graves, and was the last one to die. They were part of the O.S.S. a group that is now known as the C.I.A. Before Clark can explain anymore, someone jumps out shooting.
Superman takes him down quickly, not appreciating being shot at as a greeting. There is a time jump and we learn this guy is Captain Storm. Seems he was taken by some pterodactyls and when he finally got away and made his way back to his crew, he saw the message on the wall. Storm asks if they beat Tojo and Hilter and Mussolini, to which Superman replies that yes the war went to the Allies. Superman then asks if Storm wants to know what year it is, but Storm knows it is way past his time. Superman promises to get them all out, but Storm has a request first. They all go down and give John Cloud a burial and his own battle grave.
John draws Storm a picture of his science project and Storm thinks he knows where it is and it is going to be really tough to get back. Jon is sitting off to the side and is very upset at the idea of never getting home to see his mom. Clark tells him that sometimes he forgets he is only ten because he is so mature. Then Clark promises again that he will get them home. (He also carves Storm a leg out of a tree, using heat vision. I am only saying this now because I hadn't really been talking about how they found a busted up fake leg and how Storm is missing a leg...now you all know.)
Jon gives it to Storm and asks how he lost it and his eye. Storm gives him some grizzly details that lead to Superman asking him to maybe keep the gory details to a minimum. Storm agrees and as Superman offers to fly him, Storm waves him off and whistles. Looks like Storm has trained a pterodactyl to fly him and he named her Myrna. (Guess that is how he escaped before, befriended and then trained a pterodactyl...no big deal.)
They make their way through a set of caves that are full of many monsters. Jon in true kid fashion asks how much longer, but it is of course perfect timing as they roll up on a giant ape sitting on a throne made out of military planes. Storm correctly deduces that he (the ape) was expecting them. In the ape's eye is a device that we saw way back in issue #2. (Remember that random octopus fight where it was clear it was being mind controlled?)
Suddenly they are being attacked by many many monsters. Superman tells Jon they will get through it, one creature at a time and that he doesn't need to hold back. They get close to the ape only for it to toss a sea mine at them. Lucky for them and Krypto they are pretty fireproof. Superman begins fighting the ape while Jon and Krypto look for the thing that transported them there. Storm warns that more beasts are coming.
Superman is able to pull the device from the ape's eye while Jon grabs the device that starts to glow as soon as he touches it. Superman and Jon are holding the device as it glows, but as Superman reaches for Storm, he grabs the wooden leg and Storm detaches it. Telling them that he will stay and make sure nothing follows them.
In a flash Jon and Clark find themselves back in the Fortress of Solitude. Jon asks if that was all a dream and if Storm died. Clark tells him it wasn't a dream as he notices that the crystal he took from the ape's eye and Storm's leg are gone. Clark reassures Jon telling him that men like Storm are a special breed that never go down without a fight and now he promises Jon that they will figure that all out together.
The last page of this issue is a little unclear. It is a big eye with lots of tentacles and a guy looking at it holding Storm's wooden leg and the ape's eye crystal.
Thoughts: The first story was for sure a filler, but it was a cute filler and what can I say, this super family has grown on me a lot. Dinosaur Island is a fun DC place that I think lives in both the DC and Marvel universe. In DC it is called a chronomaly, a place that lives outside of normal time. I think the point of this story is a father son jaunt that is going to lead to the next few issues where the super sons (Jon and Damian) meet.
I am going to quickly touch on the writers because they are the same writers from volume one and I didn't mention them in my prior post. I really like how Patrick Gleason and Peter J. Tomasi are writing this Superman story and honestly do not mind a one off here and there or story lines that are only a couple issues. I hope they continue to keep pulling me in.
The main artist for issues #7, as well as the annual #1, was Jorge Jimenez and his style is awesome. He also did some of the issues in volume 1. Issues #8, 9, 12, and 13 were done by Doug Mahnke and Jaime Mendoza. I feel they did a great job of making Dinosaur Island intriguing and a little scary. The next couple of issues #10 and #11 were both drawn by Patrick Gleason, he is a man of many talents. Overall the story and art are great and if you want to see more of the work done by any of these talented people feel free to click the links I have provided.
Last Week: Suicide Squad Volume 1: The Black Vault, Part 1
Suicide Squad Volume 1: The Black Vault, Part 2
Next Post: Superman Volume 2: Trials of the Super Son, Part 2
Note: All images belong to DC™
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