REVIEW: ‘Superman: Son of Kal-El,’ Issue #7

A giant creature has awoken from her slumber at the depth of the ocean near Gamorra, and is headed straight for Metropolis! Will Superman, with his allies Aquaman (Jackson Hyde), Jay, and others be able to calm it down in time? But what can they do when the creature’s home has been ravaged by climate change?  Superman: Son of Kal-El #7 is written by Tom Taylor, with pencils and inks by Cian Tormey, colors by Hi-Fi, cover by John Timms, variant cover by Inhyuk Lee, and letters by Dave Sharpe. It is published by DC Comics.

The premise of this issue is that ocean warming through climate change has caused a giant ocean creature, nearby Jay’s home country Gamorra, to awaken and cause havoc. While Jon, Jackson, and others attempt to quell the creature, The Gamorra Corps shows up to make things worse, highlighting the contrast between those who wish to heal the environment and those who want to force it into more destructive subjugation. It’s a good set-up by Taylor who continues to write Jon with a big sincere heart that wants to heal the world as much as he can, and Jon continues to be a compelling hero.

However, it’s frustrating that the fundamental issue of who causes our current climate catastrophe (wealthy corporations and corrupt politicians) is left for later. It’s only the “big consequence” of the sea creature Superman has to currently face that dominates this issue. It’s for sure a good thing that ocean degradation is highlighted, but to tell a fully compelling story on this issue, Superman should confront the real villains and stop their activities.

It’s absolutely not enough to simply raise awareness, which unfortunately seems to be the endpoint in this particular issue. Superman has all the powers of a yellow-sun-powered Kryptonian and can do far more than just joining a climate march, as depicted on Timms’ cover. I hope that in future issues, Taylor will have Jon, perhaps with Aquaman or “The Truth” organization that Jay brings him into, find ways to undercut those who contribute the most to global emissions and ocean degradation and do everything in his power and moral compass to stop our catastrophic climate crisis. If he wants to truly solve this systemic issue, this is the only logical and moral course.

Tormey’s art is very good, with great lining and details in the ocean environment. In particular, the panels of Jon and Jackson going into the sea are mesmerizing and give a great sense of movement and action. He also draws their facial expressions with great detail and emotional lining that makes the issue feel more immersive, taking you along with Jon’s point of view. The colors by HI-FI are great, especially the luscious range of blues for the ocean and the coloring of the characters and their skin tones, particularly for Jackson’s dark skin tone.

Dave Sharpe’s letters are as always very good and efficiently placed on the page. We’re able to see all of Tomey’s great art and follow along easily with the overarching story.

Superman: Son of Kal-El #7 is an enthralling story about the consequences of environmental degradation. While it leaves something to be desired about how our Kryptonian hero will directly combat climate change, that will hopefully be addressed in subsequent issues. Taylor continues to write Jon with palpable empathy and compassion as he continues dealing with these manmade threats, Tormey’s art is incredibly immersive and beautiful, and Sharpes letters make a great finishing touch. It’ll be intriguing to see where the story goes from here.

Superman: Son of Kal-El #7 is available now wherever comics are sold.