Review: Superman Father Of Tomorrow #6

Superman Father of Tomorrow #6 came out this week, ending the Elseworld mini-series where Jor-El lands on Earth rather than Kal. Feeling guilt over his failures on Krypton, Jor tries his best to wring Earth into a utopia, failing on almost every count. How will he wrap this up?

Writer Kenny Porter has certainly created a unique world. Jor landing without Kal feel fresh. Sam Lane as Captain Atom is interesting. Lex becoming a sorceror is another new wrinkle. The theme of Jor-El trying his best to correct his mistakes from the past was also felt very different, exactly what Elseworlds are supposed to do. I am thrilled he didn't go evil, a recent theme for Jor-El.

But in all that fresh environment, the story unfolds in a relatively standard way. I feel like this is another of the Elseworlds that sort of come and goes without being remembered. It will be fun to see what is remembered a few years from now, the book itself? Or Prime busting through the ad page in Superman #38.

Danny Earls continues to bring us a sort of muddy take on this world, perfect for the context and feel. Everything feels a little dysmorphic, a little distorted, and that works well. And I wonder if this cover is a nod to All-Star Superman #10?

On to the book. 

Last issue ended with Captain Atom being over-sized and about to explode, destroying Earth. It's oooohhh so Krypton! The amplification of Atom's energy happened when Hex Luthor succumbed to a Constantine curse. 

With Earth on the line, Superman reaches out to Lex. Time to work together. If Lex can stabilize Atom for a moment, Superman will throw the living bomb into space.

As always, enemies becoming allies is a comic trope. And this is humbling for the overly arrogant Lex, defeated by people he thinks below him, Constantine and Lane. Luthor being brought down a peg in this book, in which he has been basically unstoppable.

We know this is the finale so time to tie up all the loose plot threads.

Here Sam and Lois Lane sort of try to patch up their fractured relationship. Remember, she basically outed her father last issue as an evil mastermind.

And the bloated, misshapen Atom is perfect for Earls' art.

Out in space, Atom wonders how the Earth will survive without leaders like them. Superman says humanity will grow.

This is a big deal, a catharsis for Superman. He has been trying to guide humanity and maybe has been holding them back ... or pushing them forward too fast. Even Lois has chastised him for this.

So he gets the point, finally. Maybe he doesn't need to be around.

Atom explodes and it seems it takes out Superman as well.

Where is Earth after this.

Here is Martha eulogizing him. 

Maybe Superman's methods were wrong but he just wanted people to be better. Martha has been an interesting side character here.

Lex's magical items are taken away and he is imprisoned. Back at the bench, he tries to recreate the power generators Superman was trying to implement.

This is one of the odder turns. Would this Lex actually allow himself to be put in prison? To have all those magical powers removed? Seems a little off unless almost destroying the Earth was a hard reboot of his ethics and life goals. 

And a Will Magnus sighting! 

Lois is mourning the passing of her father and Superman. But then Jimmy tells her that some mysterious blur has been helping people. Holy Smallville Television Show!

Again, everyone mourns differently. But it seemed like Lois hated her father. So this open grieving also feels a little off unless that final conversation was a hard reboot of her thoughts of her Dad.

And then we see that Superman did survive, living in Smallville and working undercover.

He helps a boy who has fallen off his bike. He tells the kid to keep riding and getting better. And if the boy falls, he will be there to help.

The 'pick us up if we fall' was the approach Martha had suggested. So seeing Superman embrace it, even in this smaller setting, is a great ending.

In the end this was a solid story doing what Elseworlds are supposed to do. This certainly felt like a very different world than we are used to.

Overall grade: B-