Superman: son of Kal-El

[Blue22]

I think Taylor needs to take a step back from twitter for a bit. I am 100% saying this as a fan of his and not just as someone who dislikes SoKE.

I feel for him, but his overprotectiveness of this book can come off as a bit unhinged sometimes. Especially when he starts going block crazy with almost anyone with even the slightest criticism against it. I'm actually surprised/relieved I'm not blocked, but that might be because I always have nice things to say about his other books. Either that or because I stopped commenting/reading SoKE before his mama-bear instincts really set in. Even members of the marginalized community that he's white knighting for aren't spared from the almighty block button, despite a lot of them expressing their criticisms and concerns in a respectful manner.

That's....kind of concerning, and I really hope it's not indicative of this comic's success going to his head or something. Cuz I've usually found him to be a pretty likable and down to earth guy. But between that and his over the top responses to trolls/homophobes who are better off not being given attention, I don't think social media is the best place for him right now.

[ZuLuLu]

Taylor have always block people on twitter, I feel he may also have an auto block for some words or phrases.

[Konja7]

Looks like issue 5 outsold issue 1 even after issue 1 went back for reprints

Honestly, I'm having trouble to understand why Tom Taylor would be so proud about this.

That just means people bought Issue #5, due to the "Jon is bi" gimmick (not the quality of his story). And it is very likely that those people will not stay for Issue #6.

Not exactly silverage.Goldenage outlaw.That's my superman.But,even silverage and bronze age had better personality..A video showing him doing a "remeber kids!!don't do drugs"and rightly gets called a dork by the kid.No less.Wouldn't call that having a personality.As the kid said.

To be fair, only one of the kids call him a dork. The other kid defend Superman, but the video doesn't show that part.

[sifighter]

I'm not sure why people say Jon has no personality, it's simple but easy to define.

1. He's a good kindhearted individual. It's why he actually tries to help people instead of fight them right off the bat, like the fire man, the seismic girl, the sea monster, etc. He wants to make sure people actually get help, probably something his dad imparted on him.

2. He's socially conscience because he cares about the earth and it's future, i.e. his climate change discussions.

3. He's playful and kind of cheeky, as seen in the annual issue where he messed with Lex about Chess and his giant L.

4. He's also got conviction, as seen when he allowed himself to be arrested for what he believes in even if only for like 45 minutes.

I think its a good sum up of who Jon is under Taylor. A person of good will and principal, who has a fun side.

[Superboy-Prime]

Seeing Tom Taylor go ham on Twitter is fun. I like it.

[DABellWrites]

I'm not sure why people say Jon has no personality, it's simple but easy to define.

1. He's a good kindhearted individual. It's why he actually tries to help people instead of fight them right off the bat, like the fire man, the seismic girl, the sea monster, etc. He wants to make sure people actually get help, probably something his dad imparted on him.

2. He's socially conscience because he cares about the earth and it's future, i.e. his climate change discussions.

3. He's playful and kind of cheeky, as seen in the annual issue where he messed with Lex about Chess and his giant L.

4. He's also got conviction, as seen when he allowed himself to be arrested for what he believes in even if only for like 45 minutes.

I think its a good sum up of who Jon is under Taylor. A person of good will and principal, who has a fun side.

The people who say that probably just don't like Jon at all. Not here, but I've said it myself. Not because I don't like Jon, just that he's what I expect from the son of Superman. I guess writers have done something differently. Taylor's activism or Bendis wanting him to eat chips and play Fortnite (I still don't see how Jon being 10 couldn't have done the same thing).

[Iclifton]

Yet,you think superman is relevant and clark kent has personality?How does that even work?I concur jon's personality is a bit lacking.But,Saying clark has any of it is very much being an ostrich.This is clark kent.(Unless a morrison or moore gets a hand on the character)

might i suggest cleaning up the characters act in general.

Clark definitely has personality and as been shown to face controversy and struggle through out his nearly 100 year history. He`s also one of, if not comic`s most iconic character.

If your going to introduce a new Superman, at least give him a personality to differentiate him. I may be in the minority, but in my opinion Jon comes off as an even more vanilla Clark. Also, for a brand new, teenage Superman, he's already OP. Such a genuinely missed opportunity to have a Superman whose powers are still growing. Jon should have been around the same power level as Clark in Morrison's Action Comics. Jon at 17, is already outsmarting Lex Luthor, Clark`s arch nemesis. It would be nice to see a bit more Lois in him. Maybe a slight temper or something like that.

I`m happy that everyone is enjoying the book but to me its coming off as a little bland and uninspired. Not bad, just average.

This coming from someone who is pro Taylor and was very open and positive about the direction initially.

[Journey]

I'm not sure why people say Jon has no personality, it's simple but easy to define.

1. He's a good kindhearted individual. It's why he actually tries to help people instead of fight them right off the bat, like the fire man, the seismic girl, the sea monster, etc. He wants to make sure people actually get help, probably something his dad imparted on him.

2. He's socially conscience because he cares about the earth and it's future, i.e. his climate change discussions.

3. He's playful and kind of cheeky, as seen in the annual issue where he messed with Lex about Chess and his giant L.

4. He's also got conviction, as seen when he allowed himself to be arrested for what he believes in even if only for like 45 minutes.

I think its a good sum up of who Jon is under Taylor. A person of good will and principal, who has a fun side.

That's legit the typical teenage superhero personality or even the typical teenage MC CW character personality it's pretty much an Archetype honesty. The only thing I'll give him is climate change but even so a political belief isn't a distinct personality trait. (In this case anyway) everything about Jon is incredibly basic especially so in comparison to like Damien for example who has a very distinct personality & voice that carries throughout every appearance if not it's deemed "wrong or bad" Jon is like Tim where theirs nothing truly unique to set him apart of those around his inner circle. Like yeah he likes boys now so what like even that has been very underdeveloped he's got nothing he's basic in everyway.

[Iclifton]

That's legit the typical teenage superhero personality or even the typical teenage MC CW character personality it's pretty much an Archetype honesty. The only thing I'll give him is climate change but even so a political belief isn't a distinct personality trait. (In this case anyway) everything about Jon is incredibly basic especially so in comparison to like Damien for example who has a very distinct personality & voice that carries throughout every appearance if not it's deemed "wrong or bad" Jon is like Tim where theirs nothing truly unique to set him apart of those around his inner circle. Like yeah he likes boys now so what like even that has been very underdeveloped he's got nothing he's basic in everyway.

This pretty much sums up my issue with the series so far. A belief or political stance does equate to personality. Its like saying a villains personality is evil and that's good enough.

[rpmaluki]

Jon has become very bland and that's the truth. The marketing for him was that he would be a different and fresh take on the brand but apart of the climate change stuff (which isn't well written) he's doing everything that Clark has done and did better. But because they wanted to replace Clark Superman in the main book, they erroneously made him OP right off the bat instead of building up to it. It was hinted at by previous writers like Tomasi and even Bendis but they never cemented it probably because its an arc you want to see develop over time, not dropped on us like a sledgehammer in the lake. I think they did it because they were afraid of the dissenting voices bemoaning a currently "weak" Superboy replacing an experienced Superman. Physically weakening Clark also adds to this decision because they know it's hard for most fans to see Clark as the weaker Kryptonian when he's at full power no matter what they have Batman say on panel. Ultimately, this book it's akin to leaping before they could walk but now are struggling to come up with interesting ideas around him when he's basically peaked by the end of the first issue, jmo.

They haven't made him unique in the truest sense (the one smart idea that they never fleshed out was around the fact that he's lived through several universe that no longer exist and that he somehow survived Earth 3 in tact, wasted character arc potential) and are satisfied fitting him in Clark's shoes and hope people will be satisfied. His sexuality isn't helping much, I haven't seen much to see it as more than a gimmick. Taylor needs to do better by Jon or the only thing people will remember about him is his LGBTQ status and nothing else.

[Vordan]

Jon should be a lot more different than he is, but for Jon to reach his full potential I think we’ll have to wait until Taylor’s successor in handling Jon. As it is he’s building up a foundation for Jon that can be used in interesting ways, even if Taylor himself is unlikely to deliver on the potential here. I’d like Jon to snark more (influence from his mom), be less optimistic about the good in everyone, and quicker to cut loose when provoked. Seeing Jon offer opinions on local Metropolis politics for example would also be a welcome change from Clark’s neutrality.

[garazza]

Cool to see my late night tirade inspired some discussion. I was feeling pretty punchy and I didn't how people were gonna react.

[Myskin]

I don't know whether SoKE will still be around in one year or two. I guess that if DC really wanted to push it, or to push SuperJon as a character, they current situation could go on indeterminately. However, I really can't see it happening. In designing this specific version of Jon (there have been two or three versions up to this point, from Lois and Clark to kid Jon to Teen Jon to Legionnaire Jon, each different from the other one, and IMHO nothing could be more indicative the general indecisiveness regarding what the character should represent) they made the most obvious mistake a middle-aged writer could make while writing a teenage character: basically, he made a list of all the possible stereotypes average people could think of regarding teenagers and included ALL of them in his Superman.

The point is not whether Jon should be aware of climate change or socially aware. The point is that no one wants to read a comic book where Superman is put in jail because he defended refugees and his dad comes and frees him, or is involved in a climate change strike with signs or stuff like that. Not because some positions are NOT important socially speaking, but because including them in a superhero book sounds incredibly fake.

Just to give you an idea, it is as if in the 1960s they had published a comic book where Superman wore a beatnik beret while playing bongos and saying "Make love not war, man!". With one difference - in Silver Age that would have rightfully be very ironic. Whereas Taylor wants the readers to take his Superman in jail very seriously, as if he was writing something socially relevant. What the heck, it's a Superman comic book! Make the character discover a planet full of magic flying piranhas who eat smog and have him solve the problem of climate change by making Superman unleash the piranhas in Earth's atmosphere. Yes, of course, it wouldn't be realistic. But is putting an incredibly powerful character in jail for, I don't know, one night, without making him use his powers in an effective way more realistic? Or even interesting? I mean, that's the point - what's so interesting about Jon in the end? Take the more or less fake awareness away, or the sexual orientation - never fully developed story-wise but sensationalistic enough to make some sites speak about it for a couple of days - and what you are left with is a very generic Superman story where Superman has an ugly hairstyle. By comparison, some Gen13 stories from the 1990s look written by Alan Moore.

By the way, what kind of audience is this comic supposedly aimed at? That's a mystery. I doubt that people who are seriously socially aware could give a damn about this series. And young people don't read superheroes in general. I'd say that it is aimed at the usual audience of readers/collectors - people who have been buying Superman for 30 years and would keep buying even if the character openly defended Donald Trump.

[Superlad93]

His personality's fine. It's just that very few people-- writers included-- realize what's fun and special about Jon as a person beyond his age, sexuality, what team he's on, and who his best friend is. Because of how much narrative weight he holds, and because of what you expect, it's so easy to get lost in the weeds of what's around him or placed on him. But at the center-- under the noses of even his creators-- is a truly inspired and simple character.

And for the record, I don't think the solution is "just add in more Lois traits" or make him more cynical. That's reactionary writing that isn't built from him as a character, but rather from and in the interest of him as a source reflection of another character or as a contrast to another character. That's not how you write a character that you want to last. That's how you write a foil that's defines by others.

But I promise you, Jon has a really, really fun character built into him already.

[Iclifton]

His personality's fine. It's just that very few people-- writers included-- realize what's fun and special about Jon as a person beyond his age, sexuality, what team he's on, and who his best friend is. Because of how much narrative weight he holds, and because of what you expect, it's so easy to get lost in the weeds of what's around him or placed on him. But at the center-- under the noses of even his creators-- is a truly inspired and simple character.

And for the record, I don't think the solution is "just add in more Lois traits" or make him more cynical. That's reactionary writing that isn't built from him as a character, but rather from and in the interest of him as a source reflection of another character or as a contrast to another character. That's not how you write a character that you want to last. That's how you write a foil that's defines by others.

But I promise you, Jon has a really, really fun character built into him already.

Taylors Jon has not even been close to a fun personality. It would make sense that a child has some of his mothers traits. Its not mandatory, just sensible. He has no distinct or unique character traits. This coming from someone who loved Jon and was okay with him becoming the next Superman. I was genuinely excited about Taylors run and take. Conceptually it sounded great. But in execution, Jon has been a complete bore. All he is at the moment is a more vanilla Clark redux. Simply having him be more of a social activist is not a distinct personality. That's not how you write a character to last.