Review: Challenge of the Super Sons #7

Challenge of the Super Sons #7 came out last week and ended the mini-series. I am sad to see it finish.

I don't know if these are the best stories. But they are a ton of fun. They are very entertaining. And they are a throwback to simpler comic stories. Where action reigns supreme and characters grow and it is escapism.

Peter Tomasi has always had a great handle on these tween legacy characters. He knows that these are the sons of heroes who have different upbringings and different values. And that friction, as well as the growing respect they have for each other, is really what fuels these stories. That is front and center in this issue. The ending of this time spanning story comes quickly. But it is the journey not the destination.

Max Raynor is back on art and brings the same energy he brought in the earlier chapters. I said before that I hope that Raynor gets a regular gig soon. I like his stuff.

Both Jon and Damian are very different characters right now than the ones we see here. I will miss these versions greatly. But given all that is going on now, I fear this is the last time we will see the super sons like this.

On to the book.

The Sons have saved the Justice League from Felix Faust's Doom Scroll only to find out that they are the last two victims on the list.

You might remember that part of the Doom Scroll's curse is if you know you are on the Doom Scroll, you die. This is why the Sons needed to secretly save the Leaguers. 

So how can the Sons still be alive. I love how Damian immediately is trying to unravel that riddle. How could this be?

But I love how Jon is the more emotional, immediately thinking they are doomed and being sad that he will never have a credit card or see an R-Rated movie. There is that contrast.

And those differences come to a boil. Damian wants to rush off and solve the problem. Jon worries that the curse might impact those around them and they should stay put.

They outright argue. 

I love this panel. Jon thinks Damian has dumb ideas. Damian thinks Jon is an idiot.

They can be best friends, hero partners, and irked with each other. That's family. 

Before the argument can become more heated, Rora arrives from the past.

There is a 'blink and you'll miss it' explanation why the sons aren't killed by knowing they were on the Doom Scroll. Some how making them the viewer and the victim did some sort of kibosh on the curse.

That same contradiction 'softens time' and so right behind her, coming through the time tunnel, are the older versions of Faust and Vandal Savage.

Hmmm ... okay.

A brief brawl happens but the sons figure out that if the scroll is what softens time than maybe destroying it will make the tunnel close. Sure enough, the past versions of the  villains get sucked back to their time.

But it isn't over. The current time Faust and Savage are around. So perhaps Jon's declaration they won is just a wee bit too early.

That's a great cliffhanger panel for the end of the first chapter.

Have the two called themselves the Super Sons in the past? I'm not sure.

So I loved this panel of the two in battle poses daring the villains to a fight. 

Just cool.

They hold their own for a while.

But when Rora gets grabbed, the heroes are left with a choice. If they don't surrender, Faust will kill Rora. 

Showing the heroes they are, They submit to the villains, being plunged into mystic fire.

Such a nice showing of their selflessness. And I also like how despite the fact that they have been bickering all issue, they fist bump. 

You know they aren't going to die. 

The Justice League, the heroes they have saved, show up to rescue them.

Just like that the Faust/Savage threat is over.

It happens quick. But to be honest, it was the early chapters where they rescued the Leaguers more than this wrap-up. But this was a lot of fun.

And so the story ends.

The Sons are proud to have saved the League. They have probably earned their fathers' respect.

And we see how they had even more adventures which perhaps we will see in the future.

I can only hope.

As I said, I liked the earlier portions of this story than this closing. But if you look at this in its entirety, it was a ton of fun. I will miss these boys if this is their last hurrah.

Overall grade: B