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Thanks to a forced outing by the villainous Henry Bendix, the entire world knows about Jon Kent dating Jay Nakamura. Jon is Superman, and therefore in the public eye; and now Jay has his own superhero identity, Gossamer, making them a high-profile couple in the DC Universe.
But Jon's dad, the original Superman Clark Kent, has been off-world for months. And telling his dad about his boyfriend - and by extension, his sexuality - is difficult for Jon in Superman: Son of Kal-El #17.
Written by Tom Taylor, illustrated by Cian Tormey and Ruairí Coleman, colored by Romulo Fajardo Jr., and lettered by Dave Sharpe, Superman: Son of Kal-El #17 is part four of a six-part crossover called "Kal-El Returns," which takes place across this series and Action Comics. It all leads up to a world-changing fight between the two Supermen and Lex Luthor in what DC is calling a milestone issue, Action Comics #1050.
Despite the circumstances, however, Son of Kal-El #17 remains localized to Clark, Jon, and how their relationship affects Jon's willingness to talk about Jay. Now that Clark is back on Earth, he and Jon spend time together racing to other planets and generally getting used to each other again. They even compare notes on their accomplishments in the time they were apart, teasing each other about their various exploits.
But when Clark asks Jon if there's anything else he wants to talk about, Jon shuts down.
This prompts Clark to turn to his own father, and the two have a heart-to-heart about why Jon may be reluctant to talk about his new boyfriend and, by extension, his sexuality. The crux of it is that being openly queer isn't always safe - and even though Clark has never given Jon reason to think he'd be homophobic, it's still a hard conversation to start.
Later in the issue, Jon arrives on the scene of an explosion and is kicked out of a flaming apartment by Red Sin, who depowers Jon in the conflict. He's bloodied in the fight, and Clark rushes him to the Justice League infirmary for treatment.
That's when Jay shows up, unimpeded even when Doctor Mid-Nite tries to keep him from the room. He and Jon check in briefly, and then Jon very intentionally asks Jay if he and his dad can have a moment alone. Lois ushers Jay and Doctor Mid-Nite out, allowing Jon and Clark to have the room.
Jon finally opens up, admitting that he wanted Clark to take him along when he left Earth. He also confesses his worry that telling Clark about Jay would create a different kind of distance between them: "I wasn't worried you'd literally fly away from me at super-speed. But if I saw the wrong look on your face - doubt, disapproval, disappointment - even for a fraction of a second, then that would be... distance between us."
Clark is quick to assuage Jon's fears. He talks about his own adolescence as an orphan and alien and notes that he knows this isn't exactly comparable to Jon's queerness. Then, he says something incredibly important.
"Every day of my life has been better since you've been in it. Every single day. Who you love is the last thing that could change that," Clark says. "Anyone who makes your life better will always be a hero in my eyes. And no matter what, I will stand beside you. I will defend you. I will love you, and I will always, always be your father."
It's an incredibly tender moment between father and son, and one that's been a long time coming since Jon came out as bisexual in 2021's Superman: Son of Kal-El #5.
Although he didn't have control over the world learning about his private life, which included Clark learning about it before Jon was necessarily ready to tell him, this scene in Son of Kal-El #17 returns some of Jon's agency and re-establishes an important connection in his support system.
Given that Clark and Jon will have to team up to save the world - again - in the immediate future, and DC has announced a relaunch of the Superman line that focuses on family for 2023, it's a relief to see both Supermen on the same page - literally and figuratively.
Superman: Son of Kal-El #17 is on sale now.
Someday, Jon and Jay may be considered one of the most iconic LGBTQIA+ comic book romances of all time.
