DC, Detective Comics, recently announced that they will be dropping the comic series Superman: Son of Kal-El due to plummeting sales. This comic series follows the story of Jonathan Kent, the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane. The first issue of the series was released on July 27th, 2021. There have only been eighteen issues in total. The publisher revealed at New York Comic Con this year that the eighteenth issue, which is set to be released at the end of this year, will be the last issue.
Different Type of Superman
There are many different opinions on how the new Superman was written. On the one hand, it is significant that they have brought Superman into the twenty-first century. It focuses on climate action, immigration, school shootings, and the deportation of refugees instead of fighting monsters and aliens. With the world crumbling into chaos, we need a Superman like Jon Kent more than ever. It makes the comics more realistic and relatable.
However, on the other hand, many fans of the DC comics read them as a form of escapism. While it is heroic to be defending the people and highlighting social injustices, it is not what the readers are used to or want. What the readers want are cocky Supervillains and massive fight scenes. They want a surreal, immersive experience and this comic series is not delivering. The first issue of Superman: Son of Kal-El sold 68,000 copies which sounds impressive as a standalone figure. However, when you compare it to the 122,000 copies of the first issue of Superman in 2016 sold, it is a very meager number.
Bisexual Superman
Another thing about this comic series is its focus on Jon’s coming out story and his first kiss. Jon Kent being bisexual is quite an important aspect of these comics. Many young people who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community feel isolated and oppressed. Making the new Superman a part of that community highlights that members of this community are not alone and do not need to be afraid.
“This was an opportunity to do something different, something not seen before. And to have this Superman represent people who haven’t been represented before and haven’t been able to see themselves in Superman.”
Tom Taylor/DC
Overall, I believe that it is a real pity to see this comic series canceled. It would have been very interesting to see where Jonathan’s way of bettering himself and bettering the world. But I do understand that due to financial reasons, they had to say goodbye to this story.
