DC Comics recently announced that it will be discontinuing “Superman: Son of Kal-El” this December, ending with issue No. 18.
The series focused on Clark Kent and Lois Lane’s son Jon Kent, who worked as a reporter and wore his father’s tights and cape at age 17. The twist was that the plot featured Jon Kent’s bisexuality, including a kiss shared with male reporter Jay Nakumara, and championed liberal social issues such as saving the world from climate change and protecting illegal immigrants.
Series writer Tom Taylor told The New York Times last October, “The idea of replacing Clark Kent with another straight white savior felt like a missed opportunity.”
DC denied that this is a cancellation. A representative of the comic company told the Washington Examiner, “The Superman: Son of Kal-El series was not canceled. Historically, there have been multiple titles that feature Superman, including Action Comics, Superman and Adventure Comics. It was always our plan to have Clark Kent return to the main Superman title and Jon Kent’s story is continuing in Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent.”
Despite the praise from DC, “Son of Kal-El” struggled to gain traction for a Superman comic.
The series debuted in July 2021. According to Comichron, a public database that ranks comic sales, the first issue sold 68,800 copies. By September 2021, that had dropped to 34,000. “Son of Kal-El” did not make the top 50 comic books sold in December 2021, nor did it crack the top 50 in August 2022. According to The Washington Times, “Son of Kal-El” was an “unprecedented sales flop for the Man of Steel.”
Superman comics have gone through previous reboots and delivered the expected results. “Superman” No. 1 sold 118,376 copies in September 2011. That was followed in June 2016 by “Superman: Rebirth” No. 1, which sold 118,434 copies, and “Superman” No. 1, which sold 105,380.
In October 2021, Jim Lee, a publisher at DC, announced that Superman’s motto of “Truth, Justice and the American Way” needed to change to something more global. DC went with “Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow.” According to Lee, this change was necessary to “better reflect the global storylines that we are telling across DC and to honor the character’s incredible legacy.”
Critics have argued that the lurch to make Superman woke has damaged the reputation of the iconic superhero.
Actor Dean Cain, famous for playing Superman/Clark Kent in the TV show “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” said, “Changing a beloved existing character is rarely a good idea, and the market made that point quite clearly.” Cartoonist Gabe Eltaeb left DC due to the liberal propaganda being pushed and took to Twitter to celebrate the demise of “Son of Kal-El.”
The six-issue series “Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent” is scheduled for release starting in January.
Despite poor sales and public backlash, Tom Taylor and DC Comics are still committed to an LGBT Superman fighting for liberal social issues. It’s hard to see that lasting without reverting to Superman’s original character.
As Cain said, “I prefer Clark Kent and Superman representing small-town American values, being kind and generous and humble, protecting freedom, loving Lois Lane, and fighting for truth, justice and the American way.”
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