I bought Superman: Son of Kal-El 2021 Annual.

Superman: Son of Kal-El 2021 Annual DC Comics Written by Tom Taylor Art by Steve Pugh and Clayton Henry Since my return to comic collecting, I have purchased very few ongoing series and even fewer annuals. This is a learned behavior as annuals usually felt like fill-in issues when they weren't part of some giant crossover event, that is. However, I enjoyed the first few issues of Superman: Son of Kal-El (I have the rest - I'm just behind in my reading), and the solicitation material for this issue led to me adding it to my order. The cover is the first bit of info that sold me on the issue. There is no doubt that Lex would already be well aware of the Son of Kal-El; he likely has several people within his control who provide him with such information. But here we see Luthor walking into his office and, upon seeing the new Superman reclined in his office chair with his feet on the desk and his hands behind his head, doesn't ask him who he is as if he's a stranger. Instead, he treats him like a child masquerading on Halloween. "And who are YOU supposed to be?" While I learned early on in my comic book fandom that covers sometimes do not accurately depict the contents of the interior pages, because of the cover image I expected to read a story where Jonathan Kent approached Luthor with a "new sheriff in town" in town attitude, only to be outsmarted and humbled by the evil billionaire. I did not get that. But was the story I did get any good?

It was mildly entertaining. Solid but easily forgettable. The subplot displaying Luthor's ruthlessness was well done. But am I glad I did NOT pay the $5.99 cover price for it? Yep.

The art was fine; nothing I would put in front of someone and insist they check out for themselves. There was one major problem I noticed fairly early in the book, which distracted me throughout:

There's no nice way to say this - more often than not Jonathan Kent looks like a dullard.

While there is a moment that ties this issue to the main title, overall it feels like a rushed fill-in issue. I have contemplated making the switch from monthlies to TPBs on the main title, but this book actually makes me feel the need to get caught up and see if it is still of interest to me at all. I hope so, as good Superman stories are hard to find.