Superman Vol. 2: Trials of the Super Son (Rebirth) (Superman Rebirth) Paperback – April 11, 2017

Tomasi's excellent writing and Mahnke and Gleason's art shows why the Superman title is the very best of Rebirth!Story: There's really three stories going on here. The first opens up with Clark and family going to an amusement park. I love seeing Clark's family dynamic play out. This is where the real magic happens and Tomasi is fantastic at writing a realistic family, like when he shows Lois getting frustrated with Clark when she realizes that he did a small Superman thing at the fair after Clark promised no "Supermanning". And Clark, that sly dog, tries to hide it with a good 'ol farm boy smile. lol We then move on to Clark helping Jon with his science fair project at the Fortress of Solitude, when Jon's super advanced tech project transports the both of them to Dinosaur Island!! This is fantastic stuff, as Tomasi makes a tribute to the late great Darwyn Cooke and his masterful work, The New Frontier! Clark and Jon have this adventure on the island as they try to stay alive while being assaulted by giant prehistoric fish, and mutant pterodactyls! If you like your heroes getting into some wacky, and exotic adventures, then you'll love this. I loved the callback to The Losers and I don't want to spoil the end of that story, but it's pretty darn good! We move on to the next story where Jon is hanging out with Kathy, a local farm girl and love interest?, when he runs into (literally) a new girl, Maya, who seems to be spying on Jon. Jon tries to get Kathy to explore a creepy swamp with him, but she wants nothing to do with it, and Jon quickly finds himself being "captured" by "Nobody", and after Jon causes Nobody, himself, and the winged beast holding them to crash, Jon wakes up in Gotham to find himself being studied by Damien Wayne! Batman quickly shows up and has to calm down an invading Superman who isn't sure what Damien is doing to his son. They go to the Batcave where the narrative is pure gold, as we get to see the Super Sons talk, and then fight each other with their dads having to break them up. They then decide to send them to a sort of "boot camp", where Superman and Batman want to teach Damien and Jon to work together or they won't be allowed to wear the colors of their fathers. This is pure awesomeness, as we finally get to see these two proteges have an adventure all their own. From a snowy mountain, to a showdown with Nobody, and a train ride from hell, it all culminates in the two discussing what they believe their fathers want from them. Jon, being the son of the supremely optimistic Superman wants to be friends with Damien, and of coarse Damien can't even stand the idea of being "brothers-in-arms". But, Damien won't turn down a granola bar that Jon gives him. That whole segment is just writing gold! Then, unknown to Damien and Jon, Batman and Superman set their sons up to work together to get rid of a genetic monster made up of the DNA of Batman's deadliest enemies, while Bruce and Clark are "helpless". But, it all culminates in a cool battle with the Super Sons, and soon after Bruce and Clark take out the boys to pick Christmas trees. And they end up fighting....again. lol We then move onto a rather weird entry for this title, as the Frankenstein monster, and agent of S.H.A.D.E., attempts to capture a supposed fugitive and criminal who's hiding in Hamilton County (where the Kents...or should I say "Smiths" live). Lois is caught up having to defend herself from this monster, believing him to be trying to murder an innocent woman. No problem for Lois. She "borrowed" a little something from Batman's moon base. So as Lois and her friend make their escape, we get Superman intervening and him and Frankenstein's monster have a small fight, but all is revealed in the end. The Bride of Frankenstein shows up (and has four arms?) and there's two really touching moments here that furthers the narrative of the very obscure New 52 title, or perhaps brings closure to it. But, the Bride gives Lois some insight into the relationship between husbands and wives. We get to see the dichotomy between these four people. Superman and Lois in a happy marriage, and Frankenstein and his Bride in a failed one. But, it all ends on a happy note. These three stories are all sort of filler as we get to "Multiplicity", but they're such SUPER stories, that it goes to show the level of writer Peter Tomasi is.Art: Once again, the art is superb! I love that Doug Mahnke is one of the rotating artists on this title and I LOVED his work on the Dinosaur Island issues. The detail that he puts in shows the magnitude of his craft, and his style looks great for a Superman book. I know Bret Booth, who is a paleoartist on the side, was probably jealous that Mahnke got to draw the Dinosaur Island issues. Gleason fills out Trials of the Super Son arc with Damien and Jon undergoing their various tests. His art is still top notch! His style is certainly very appropriate for the heartwarming, or zany stories in this title. Mahnke finishes the book with the Frankenstein arc, and he certainly draws the creature well. That story was surprisingly funny, like when Superman taps the creature on his shoulder, then punches him in the face! The art all around is some of the best in the Rebirth line!Overall: I'm so glad I loved this, and trust me, there's a LOT to love about this book! Tomasi still delivers a book full of heart, life, and love. It's no wonder I've heard from others that this title is awesome. This will certainly go down as one of the greatest runs on the character ever! Get this!

As with volume 1 of Superman: Rebirth, this book is both refreshingly new and nostalgically familiar in terms of the Superman character. This is, plain and simple, an enjoyable volume that delivers everything a Superman fan seek.The writing is very linear, with dialogue that feels both organic and unique to each character. There is very little, if any, clunky verbage, and the authors allow the art to deliver explosion in tandem with text boxes. Now, the cover and title for the volume is bit misleading: the majority of this volume actually is not about Superboy and Robin. However, I had no problem with this. Instead, there are three smaller self-contained stories within volume 2, providing the reader with a variety of situations and exposure to a plethora of characters. This made for a lighter, less cumbersome read than say, Batman: I am Gotham. Not that that volume wasn't excellent (because it is), it was just nice to see Superman take on dinosaurs and swap parenting tactics with Batman all in one collection. There are some neat callbacks to other DC works (New Frontier, to name one) that serve almost as a polite wink to the audience. This book continues to respect the fact that this is the Superman from the pre-New 52 universe, while also allowing him to develop in this new world.The art is terrific, and it was nice to see the same talents from volume 1 carry over. Both artists draw Superman and his surroundings in a very broad, expansive way that also feels intimate at the same time. Colors are bright, and action scenes are drawn exceptionally well. Despite the two, very different art styles seen here, they work well together, and the changes are not jarring by any means.In all, this is well worth the purchase. The only gripe I have is that seemingly none of the big Rebirth mysteries were hinted at in this book, although I could have missed one. Mr. Oz is not hinted at, nor is the strange blue hand seen in volume one. However, this means that this collection can stand on its own very well. All three stories are unique, and while not the most ground-breaking pieces, managed to avoid most major formulaic Superman situations. Pre-existing characters are shown in this book, particularly in the Supersons arc, but are introduced with enough text to give a satisfactory introduction. I have been pleasantly surprised how well Lois and Superman have been written as parents, and Superboy continues to be a welcome addition to the DC universe. This is an easy recommendation, the only caveat being that reading volume 1 beforehand would likely be helpful (though this is hardly a chore).

Continuing off of the excellent first volume, Superman Volume 2 is a bright, colorful collection of stories centered on Supes and his superson Jon. Encapsulating the hopeful vibe of works like Grant Morrison's All Star Superman, this new series has made the big blue boy scout a recognizable character again (after the experimentations with darkness and grittiness during the New 52). One story arc sees Supes and Jon transported to a monster filled world where they run across the sole surviving member of the Losers (DC's old WW2 squad of soldiers), another sees Jon and Damien Wayne forced to work together to earn their capes back from their fathers, and the final arc sees Lois and Superman team up with Frankenstein and his Bride. All in all, these are zany and frankly over the top stories, but all lovingly told with beautiful artwork. I especially enjoy the team up of Jon and Damien as it helps to humanize the latter (sometimes writers depict Damien as far too wise beyond his childish years). Also, there are a ton of easter eggs in this book for fans such as the Bat-Cow. However, the best issue in this book for me was the opening chapter with the "Smith" family enjoying a night out at the fair. The playful and fun tone is exactly what this series and what the character of Superman needed most.