Superman: Lois and Clark Issue #7 Review

Title: Superman: Lois and Clark, Issue #7
Author: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Lee Weeks and Steve Segovia
Publisher: DC Comics
Language: English
Genre: Superhero
Release Date: April 20, 2016

After being captured by Intergang, Lois and Clark’s son, Jon, discovers that he has extraordinary abilities. Once they are saved by the father of steel, the two parents try to explain to their gifted son about their family’s big secret; who they are and where they came from.  In the meantime, an alien warrior is seeking a powerful stone on Earth, and she is determined to recover the item. She is willing to go through anyone to reclaim what is hers.

On the character side of the issue, it is a lot for a child to take in when he discovers that his father is Superman. This is made even more impressive when the child finds out that his family is from another universe all together. While it is not impossible, talking about alternate universes with new comic fans can be difficult, which is why it is so impressive that Lois and Clark can make it simple.

There were elements of drama and tension in the comic between Jon and his parents; however, they were not over exaggerated, and it is treated as a civil family meeting. This part of the issue stands out the most as it gives the family a new dynamic and a lot of opportunities for more character stories, for example Jon can learn how to control his new gift while learning more about his parents. Hopefully, this new dynamic in the family will be reminiscent of the Animal Man series by Jeff Lemire, a superhero father with a wife and child who are proud of him. While Jon is shown to have spent some time with his parents, via flashbacks, he does not seem to be as involved as his parents, and he, instead, is more interested in Superman.

While the action in this issue is not that extensive, it is still illustrated beautifully, thanks to Lee Weeks and Steve Segovia’s art, especially, when with movement and characters, for example when Superman fights the pretend villain, and he saves his family from an explosion. These splash pages are dramatic as well as energetic. 

There seems to be a clear distinction between Weeks and Segovia’s art work. While penciling looks similar, the first part of the comic is far more vibrant and less detailed, while the rest of the comic uses immersive splash pages, and it is much darker. Although one flaw with the art is that in some shots, characters appear to have blank eyes, and in this issue, the characters are not as expressive as in previous issues. 

One major flaw that could be brought up may be Superman’s attitude towards the media, while it does show that the New 52 universe is deplorable and uncomfortable to Clark, it does seem a bit out of character for him to be that aggressive to a non-villain. This could be bothersome for many Superman fans, but is ironic that Clark holds a dislike for the New 52 Universe.

Speaking of alien, the subplot of the alien warrior coming to Earth has been hinted throughout the series has taken its sweet time to get to this point, and she has finally come to earth. While not much information is given about this new threat, other than her objective, it is nice to see the subplot finally move forward and regain some anticipation.

Final Word:

Even with brief action and a bit of out of character moment for Superman, the comic was enjoyable for the character moments with the Kent family. Chances are there will be more opportunities for the Kents to have more conversations with their son while he explores his new powers as a threat comes closer.