Jonathan Kent steps up as the new Man of Steel in Superman: Son of Kal-El #1

Superman: Son of Kal-El #1
(Image credit: DC)

DC's new Superman, Jonathan Kent, steps into his father's proverbial shoes (and his actual mantle) on July 27 with Superman: Son of Kal-El #1. Written by Tom Taylor with art by John Timms, the new ongoing comic book series Superman: Son of Kal-El replaces the long-running Superman title and is now what DC calls the "main Superman title" in its line of Superman titles (more on that in a bit).

"Jonathan Kent has experienced a lot in his young life. He's traveled the galaxies with his Kryptonian grandfather and lived in the future with the Legion of Super-Heroes, who were intent on training him for the day his father, Clark Kent, could no longer be Superman," reads DC's description of Superman: Son of Kal-El #1. "There is a hole in the Legion's history that prevents Jon from knowing exactly when that will happen, but all signs point to it being very soon."

That "very soon" is July 27, with Superman: Son of Kal-El #1. Here's a preview:

It's not so much a passing of the Superman mantle in this case, but Kal-El growing the family business.

"It's time for the son to wear the cape of his father and bear the symbol of hope that has told the world who Superman really is," reads a DC statement.

Superman: Son of Kal-El #1 will come with a host of covers for the occasion. In addition to the main cover by series artist John Timms, there are variant covers planned by InHyuk Lee, Stephen Byrne, Jen Bartel, Jock, Alan Quah (two covers), and even a second one by Timms.

Here they are:

Described as "a whole new era for the House of El," Superman: Son of Kal-El will be the flagship title in the DC family of Superman titles. Along with that will be the original Superman in Action Comics, a team-up with Superman & The Authority limited series, a flashback to the classic Christopher Reeve movies with Superman '78, the current Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and the long-running Batman/Superman series (which unfortunately will end in September).

Superman: Son of Kal-El #1 goes on sale on July 27.

Can't wait until July 27? Make sure you've read all the best Superman stories so far. 

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)