Superman: Son Of Kal-El #14
Superman and the Revolutionaries make their move against Gamorra and President Bendix in Superman: Son of Kal-El #14, by writer Tom Taylor, artist Cian Tormey, colorist Federico Blee, and letterer Dave Sharpe. This is a well-paced comic, layering on the action and keeping the reader engaged.
Lois Lane reveals the truth about Gamorra to the world as Superman and Jay give a pep talk to the Revolutionaries, a group of superpowered Gamorran refugees. In Gamorra, Bendix raises the island’s defenses. He gives them the rules of engagement, and some scoff at it. Damian Wayne shows up and throws in with them. Superman takes Jay to the Fortress and gives him a new costume and a Legion flight ring. Together, they fly to Gamorra, and Jay shuts down the shield. The assault begins in earnest, and Dreamer warns Superman to go help Jay now. He finds him, and they face off against Bendix’s first surprise.
This is a pretty straightforward comic. It’s the beginning of the final phase of the battle against Bendix, so it’s a lot of set-up. Taylor paces it out very well, hitting each story beat - the reveal, Bendix’s defenses, the rules of engagement, and the first attack. The pacing is the key to the whole thing really. Spend too much time in any scene, and it would mess up the flow of the issue. Taylor spends just enough time with each beat.
Once the fight starts, the pacing is still great. Taylor focuses on the exciting stuff, Jay getting into Gamorra and the beginning of the fight. Taylor doesn’t bog it down with too much dialogue or caption boxes. He lets the art do the talking, which makes it all work. A good writer knows when to let the artist work. The beginning of the issue is dialogue and exposition. The end is carried by the art.
Tormey and Blee do a fantastic job. The page layouts use a lot of long panels in the beginning and the end of the book. This is perfect. It gives the comic a widescreen feel, which this book definitely deserves. Tormey’s character acting and figure work are top-notch, and the colors pop. The scenes with Jay and Superman flying in are gorgeous, with Blee rendering a beautiful sky, and the action is wonderful. The art team delivers everything they need to.
Superman: Son Of Kal-El #14 is a well-paced, action-packed chapter. Taylor, Tormey, and Blee are at the top of their game in this one, and it’ll be great to see where the book goes next with this story.
