We’ve Got Dueling Superboys In Adventures Of The Super Sons #3

It’s double trouble out in space as Superboy has been exposed to red Kryptonite, splitting him in two. Robin has to keep them from tearing each other apart long enough to stop Rex Luthor and his band of pint-sized villains called the Gang. Unfortunately for Damian, when Jon split in half, it also lowered his maturity so both versions of him are acting like petulant children.

Long time fans will remember the strange – and perhaps dark – time when Superman went through a similar issue, splitting into a blue and red version with weird electric powers. That’s sort of what’s going on here, but without the new powers. Colorist Protobunker makes both Jons glow with this almost radioactive light. It looks cool and more than a little deadly. The color is not just on their skin. It’s emanating out of them like an odd heat source.
Both Superboys appear younger than they were before the exposure to red Kryptonite. They’re more childlike and even more full of energy. This makes them somewhat frustrating to Robin as he’s trying to control them in an already heated situation. Suddenly Robin is thrust into this parent role instead of a friend. This isn’t all that unusual for him because he’s used to bossing Superboy around. Usually the Boy of Steel listens to him though, but that’s not the case here.

The fight isn’t just between the Super Sons though. This newly formed trio takes the battle to the Gang in the funnest way possible. They don’t know what to make of the new Superboys either so they’re just as confused. They knew how to fight one Superboy, not two so they’re caught off guard by all this. It makes for some fun banter as Robin makes his move to take control of the ship. Writer Peter J. Tomasi packs this issue with some choice dialogue.
Things really heat up towards the end of the issue as the ship’s guidance controls are destroyed, forcing them to make a crash landing. Artist Carlo Barberi gives these scenes a blurred look to show how much the ship is shaking. This extends to Rob Leigh’s letters as the word balloons are also blurred. The words are broken up, like the characters are getting jostled around. It makes for an exciting end to this chapter that’s fitting for this younger version of the World’s Finest.

This is the kind of adventure that only Robin and Superboy could get into. It’s wacky and more than a little bizarre and that’s what makes this book such a fun read. I can’t imagine Batman and Superman going through the same situation in this day and age. That time has past. Fortunately, we have Adventures of the Super Sons to fill that void and bring joy and fun to the DC Universe in a big way.
Adventures of the Super Sons #3 from DC Comics is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.