The year is 2018. A writer famous for his work at Marvel has jumped over to DC to write for Superman. Not even ten issues into the run, Jon Kent (once a beloved child named Superboy) is unceremoniously aged up to a teenager in what would become a polarizing era for the character. It’s a change of course for the young Kent that many Superfans curse to this day as they mourn the young child that was lost to time. Superman Unlimited #12 seeks to address that loss head-on.
The year is 2025. A writer famous for his work at Marvel has jumped over to DC to write for Superman. Eleven issues into his run, the now grown Jon Kent reaches his hand into an interdimensional portal and pulls from it his childhood self that was lost so many years ago. This is Superman Unlimited #12 by Dan Slott and Lucas Meyer. Superboy is back.
- Title: Superman Unlimited #12
- Creatives: Dan Slott (Writer), Lucas Meyer (Artist), Giuliano Peratelli (Colorist)
- Characters: Jon Kent (Tomorrow Man), Superboy (Young Jon), Lois Lane, Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne, Krypto
- Villain: Fourth Dimensional Imp (Mentioned)
- Format: Ongoing Series
- Our Rating: 8.5/10 Stars
How Dan Slott Reverses the Jon Kent Age-Up
Jon is still fresh off of his existential crisis, taking up the name Tomorrow Man after a battle with a fourth dimensional imp, and now has to reckon with his own younger self. Hoping to save the younger Kent from an existential crisis of his own, he obfuscates his true identity. This is a lot easier when your new suit has a face mask. Superboy nonetheless is overwhelmed and confused by the sudden change and unintentionally causes chaos in Smallville which Tomorrow Man rushes to fix. He doesn’t do it alone, though, encouraging and calming Superboy enough to help undo the mess he made.
After his escapades in Smallville, Tomorrow man makes the choice to bring his younger self to his mother. He wants to give her the opportunity that they both lost: the opportunity to be fully raised by his loving family. Despite the happy reunion, however, his best friend Damian Wayne remains suspicious that things are not as they seem with Superboy.
Why the Tomorrow Man Identity Fixes Jon Kent’s Directionless Era
To say Jon has been sort of lost over the past years would be an understatement. Between filling in for Superman, going over to the Injustice universe, changing his name to Superson, to being in the Secret Six, there’s a noticeable lack of direction. Hell, even the same day this issue drops, regular older Jon Kent is in the New Titans book. That’s its own can of worms. Despite the many (MANY) different takes on a grown up Jon, I think Dan Slott is doing something interesting with his take.
In making the lack of direction part of the narrative, it retroactively makes it all feel a bit more intentional. In particular, it hits home when we see how strongly he reacts to his younger self. He doesn’t question this young Jon at all, no matter how suspicious the circumstances of his arrival. He just feels this immediate need to protect him and return him to his parents. It really sells the idea that he never did fully recover from what happened to him; he never recovered from all the time lost.
Between the last issue and this one, it feels like Jon is trying to erase himself from the narrative entirely. He can give kid Jon the life he never had and can become just a faceless force of good in the universe. Dan Slott seems to be setting Jon up to learn one of the most important themes in any good Superman story: you can’t have the “super” without the “man.”
The Visual Impact of Lucas Meyer and Giuliano Peratelli
Not to be outdone by the writing, Lucas Meyer does a wonderful job on art. Though it’s less stylized than Rafael Albuquerque’s early work on the book, Meyer feels like a natural on the book. His work with facial expressions in this issue comes across as a real highlight. Tomorrow Man is particularly impressive given how palpable his emotions feel when really he remains masked the entire issue.
Really my only complaint about the visuals comes more from the design of Tomorrow Man’s costume. Though the design looks great in isolation, it feels weird as an outfit for Jon Kent when the emblem and excessive pouches feels more in line with the Batfamily. Yet even that feels like a small gripe when ultimately the addition of the mask in particular is a great visual cue to the crisis Jon is going through, quite literally making himself faceless. The colors from Giuliano Peratelli also deserve a shout out, going for a very vibrant high contrast palette which is the perfect fit for Meyer’s art.
Is the Kid Jon Kent in Superman Unlimited Real?
Okay, dramatic intro aside, Superfans know what to expect at this point. DC has run this gambit before; hell, just last year Shazam! featured a similar plot point. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice… well, you get the gist. Regardless, it’s clear Kid Jon isn’t exactly here to stay. Krypto being suspicious is more than enough to convince me something’s up. Yet, with the cards that Jon Kent has been dealt (the grown Jon Kent that is), I think Dan Slott and Lucas Meyer are doing a great job reconciling his tumultuous past eight years into something both cohesive and emotionally resonant.
‘Superman Unlimited’ #12 | Is the Original Superboy Jon Kent Finally Back?
DC has run this gambit before; hell, just last year Shazam! featured a similar plot point. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice… well, you get the gist. Regardless, it’s clear Kid Jon isn’t exactly here to stay. Krypto being suspicious is more than enough to convince me something’s up. Yet, with the cards that Jon Kent has been dealt (the grown Jon Kent that is), I think Dan Slott and Lucas Meyer are doing a great job reconciling his tumultuous past eight years into something both cohesive and emotionally resonant.
