Discussing John Kent from Superman
Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2021 4:12 am
One of the best stories from the New 52 that no doubt led to the creation of DC Rebirth was Superman: Lois and Clark and it was a story that I enjoyed so much that I bought the trade for the series as soon as it was available. And one of the things I liked about the story so much was the inclusion of Lois and Clark's son Jon Kent.
A little while ago I talked about Della Duck and how in order to shape her character the creators of the show used Donald and her sons, Huey, Dewey and Louie as a frame work and along with her own personal flaws and a very well written character arc that helped to give her a fully realized character that is as interesting as her twin brother.
Well, that's basically what the writers did with Jon, gave him traits of both parents while also giving him his own unique arc that would allow him to stand on his own. He has his father's desire to do good and his mother's inquisitive nature while also asking the question, what would it be like to be the child of Superman. He has his father's powers and want to do good and sees what he can be through his father whom he clearly admires and loves but because his father is Superman, Clark needs to spend a fair chunk of time away from his family so Jon spends a lot more time, in the first few issues at least, with his mother.
What's great about this is Jon DOESN'T recent his father for being gone so often and yet he does clearly miss him which is a nice change of pace. Often in fiction kids either come to resent their parents or have no real issue with them and this is a nice balance between the two that helps add to Jon's character and makes him feel more real.
However, what really helps to set Jon apart from his parents so he doesn't just feel like mini-Clark is that Jon has a temper. He's not exactly quick to anger but he doesn't have as much self control as his father does which is interesting because one of Clark's greatest fears is not being able to control himself, fearing that he is what many writers try to turn him into, a bad person who is just looking for an excuse to take power.
But Jon shows why Clark's fears are misplaced because even with this anger issue Jon always tries to do the right thing first and works to better himself because he wants to live by the example his parents set for him.
Now I haven't been keeping up with DC for a while now (which is mostly down to me just doing what I can to help my family) but I did hear about how Jon recently came out as Bisexual which is something I actually really liked because it helps to not only further introduce LGBT themes in Superhero lore it also helps to give Jon even more of an identity. Clark is pretty exclusively single target sexuality as while he has had romantic relationships over the years Lois is always THE love interest for him and him showing interest in anyone else always kinds feels... off.
I've NEVER been a fan of the Super Wonder ship as if just felt like the two were just friends and most of the time when writers put Clark and Diana together it feels like just like lazy writing because their the strongest Heroes in the World therefore they MUST fall in love.
But Jon is still figuring out how he is and finding himself and that means the person he falls in love with doesn't have to be an Expy of his mother but could be anyone. At the end of the day Superman is a symbol of Hope and part of that hope is the hope that he can create a world where everyone can be the best they can be and be loved. And Jon is a continuation of that theme with him taking on the role of Superman and showing that love is love and that there is always hope for a better tomorrow... Especially when we find the mute button so we don't have to listen to the trolls anymore.
A little while ago I talked about Della Duck and how in order to shape her character the creators of the show used Donald and her sons, Huey, Dewey and Louie as a frame work and along with her own personal flaws and a very well written character arc that helped to give her a fully realized character that is as interesting as her twin brother.
Well, that's basically what the writers did with Jon, gave him traits of both parents while also giving him his own unique arc that would allow him to stand on his own. He has his father's desire to do good and his mother's inquisitive nature while also asking the question, what would it be like to be the child of Superman. He has his father's powers and want to do good and sees what he can be through his father whom he clearly admires and loves but because his father is Superman, Clark needs to spend a fair chunk of time away from his family so Jon spends a lot more time, in the first few issues at least, with his mother.
What's great about this is Jon DOESN'T recent his father for being gone so often and yet he does clearly miss him which is a nice change of pace. Often in fiction kids either come to resent their parents or have no real issue with them and this is a nice balance between the two that helps add to Jon's character and makes him feel more real.
However, what really helps to set Jon apart from his parents so he doesn't just feel like mini-Clark is that Jon has a temper. He's not exactly quick to anger but he doesn't have as much self control as his father does which is interesting because one of Clark's greatest fears is not being able to control himself, fearing that he is what many writers try to turn him into, a bad person who is just looking for an excuse to take power.
But Jon shows why Clark's fears are misplaced because even with this anger issue Jon always tries to do the right thing first and works to better himself because he wants to live by the example his parents set for him.
Now I haven't been keeping up with DC for a while now (which is mostly down to me just doing what I can to help my family) but I did hear about how Jon recently came out as Bisexual which is something I actually really liked because it helps to not only further introduce LGBT themes in Superhero lore it also helps to give Jon even more of an identity. Clark is pretty exclusively single target sexuality as while he has had romantic relationships over the years Lois is always THE love interest for him and him showing interest in anyone else always kinds feels... off.
I've NEVER been a fan of the Super Wonder ship as if just felt like the two were just friends and most of the time when writers put Clark and Diana together it feels like just like lazy writing because their the strongest Heroes in the World therefore they MUST fall in love.
But Jon is still figuring out how he is and finding himself and that means the person he falls in love with doesn't have to be an Expy of his mother but could be anyone. At the end of the day Superman is a symbol of Hope and part of that hope is the hope that he can create a world where everyone can be the best they can be and be loved. And Jon is a continuation of that theme with him taking on the role of Superman and showing that love is love and that there is always hope for a better tomorrow... Especially when we find the mute button so we don't have to listen to the trolls anymore.
