Superman: Father of Tomorrow #1 Has a Lot of Potential That It Never Lives Up To (Review)

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Comic book storylines are often flexible, evolving with new stories and trends, but core origins usually remain consistent. For example, Superman will always be known as the survivor of Krypton, raised by the Kents. Despite this consistency, it’s enjoyable to imagine alternative versions of these familiar tales. That’s where “Elseworlds” stories come in – they take established DC Universe elements and reimagine them, creating fresh and unique narratives.

Superman stories often explore alternate realities, imagining scenarios like Krypton never being destroyed or him growing up in the Soviet Union. A long-awaited version of this—where Superman’s father, Jor-El, arrives on Earth instead of his son—is now available. The idea of Jor-El adjusting to life on Earth as an adult, grieving his home planet while trying to protect a new one, is compelling. However, the first installment, Superman: Father of Tomorrow, doesn’t quite live up to its potential.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

PROS CONS
Very interesting world with lots of potential Fast-paced plot whose speed neuters its own narrative
Gorgeous, bombastic spreads Occasionally stiff poses

A Powerful Concept That Glances Over Its Most Interesting Ideas

This new miniseries begins with Jor-El unexpectedly landing on Earth – an Earth that’s already prepared for potential alien threats, with a dedicated division monitoring outer space. His arrival isn’t smooth; he accidentally destroys a satellite base, putting Sam Lane in command of the situation. The Kents take Jor-El in, giving him a new identity as Jordan Kent and treating him like a brother to Jonathan. When Jonathan tragically passes away, Jor-El emerges from hiding, using his extraordinary abilities and intellect to transform Earth into a utopia. He becomes Superman more than ten years before Clark Kent, accelerating the development of heroism and technology far beyond its natural pace.

While the book has interesting elements, it unfortunately speeds through its most compelling parts. Key moments, like the development of the relationship between Jor-El and Jonathan, and Jor-El’s adjustment to life on Earth – a major appeal of this story – are glossed over. Jonathan’s death feels forced and lacks emotional resonance, seemingly existing only to motivate Jor-El. The book hints at a strong parallel between Jor-El and Sam Lane as flawed fathers, but doesn’t fully develop this idea, even though it wants the reader to notice it. Ultimately, the rushed pacing prevents the story from reaching its full potential.

One minor issue that bothered me was how much of Superman’s introduction was linked to death and destruction. Jor-El’s ship inadvertently killed everyone on a space station, and Metallo attacked only because he happened to be nearby. While it wasn’t Jor-El’s intention, Superman is usually presented as a beacon of hope, and I don’t like seeing his arrival cause so much damage. That said, this is a small point, and it could make sense for a more world-weary Jor-El to unintentionally cause destruction, fitting with his story of loss and personal development.

Beautiful Destruction With One or Two Stiff Poses

Danny Earls created all the artwork for this book, and it’s a fantastic display of his talent. He’s a rising star, and his illustrations perfectly capture the book’s mood. The most impressive parts are the large-scale, action-filled scenes of destruction. Earls truly shines when depicting things being destroyed – particularly the moment Jor-El’s ship crashes through the satellite, which feels incredibly impactful and realistically portrays the station breaking apart.

The way the artist depicts Jonathan’s heart attack is fantastic, and Jor-El’s expression perfectly conveys his fear and anguish, proving the artist can handle emotional depth as well as action. I especially loved how the comic creatively incorporated the title into the scene of Jor-El’s crash – it was a brilliant and impactful visual. But the most impressive moment for me was Jor-El’s brutal takedown of Metallo, featuring the most powerful and intense heat vision blast I’ve seen in a comic in years.

My only criticisms are that the character animation sometimes felt a little stiff during smaller movements. I noticed this particularly when Jor-El was walking through the market, reaching for his family from his ship, and struggling with the doctors. In those scenes, he seemed to be posing rather than moving naturally with emotion, which felt off considering the importance of those moments. However, these are small issues. Overall, the artwork is fantastic, perfectly complements the story, and is definitely the best part of this issue.

This issue felt promising but ultimately fell a little flat. It had great ideas, but the story moved too quickly, which hurt my enjoyment and prevented some of its best aspects from fully developing. It’s possible this was just because the story needed to set things up, and I think the next issue could be much stronger if it slows down and explores the main character’s thoughts and connections to the world. While this issue didn’t quite work for me, I’m still interested enough to see if the series improves.

Superman: Father of Tomorrow #1 is on sale now!

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2026-05-27 16:42