It seems that whenever Superman dies, there’s at least three people ready to take up the mantle. Following the death of the New 52 Superman, characters both new and old have begun working to carry on his legacy, and one of the new ones is Kong Kenan, the New Super-Man of China. So, how does this new hero’s debut go?
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Illustrated by Viktor BogdanovicAn impulsive act of heroism thrusts an arrogant young man into the limelight of Shanghai as CHina begins to form its own Justice League of powerful heroes. Rising from the ashes of The Final Days of Superman, award-winning writer Gene Luen Yang and on-the-rise art star Viktor Bogdanovic introduce readers to Kong Kenan – the New Super-Man! When the world needed a new hero, China made him!
When you think of Superman, you typically think of a paragon of morality, a beacon of hope, and a selfless defender of the weak. Truth, justice, the American way, and all that glorious old-fashioned nobility – that’s what makes Superman the symbol and character that he is.
We’re introduced to Kenan as he beats up a classmate for a soft drink.
Yes, our New Super-Man is far from the virtuous boy scout that Clark Kent was. He’s arrogant, something of a bully, and quick to jump in the spotlight when it’s given to him.
And I think that’s great.
What we have here is a perfectly flawed character – one with a good baseline of issues and negative traits to really work with and work past. The lower they start, the higher they have to rise, and becoming a superhero, particularly one with the legacy of Superman to live up to, is a catalyst for change and growth. We know what Clark Kent stood for – what will define Kong Kenan?
At the same time, Gene Luen Yang still gives us plenty of reasons to sympathize with Kenan. His father cares more about his conspiracy theories than his son, and his mother is – well, it’s a comic book, of course at least one of his parents is dead, and died in a way that will surely motivate him to save lives. Even his first heroic act, the triggering event that sends him down the path towards super heroism, was done to save the boy he was bullying, and the comic later goes on to show why he was doing it in the first place.
In short, we have a New Super-Man that has plenty of room for growth without being entirely unlikable at first; that can be a tricky balance to strike, but it’s done well.
At the same time, we have a few of the typical tropes for a “Superman” comic. The writer once explained his thought process for picking the name “Kong Kenan,” and mentioned that the alliterative K-sound was a must; likewise, the female reporter/inevitable love interest’s initials are also L.L. (although I suppose it’s always possible that we’ll be thrown for a twist and she’s in fact the Lex Luthor of these comics, rather than the Lois Lane). Kenan appears to get the basic Superman power set – flight, strength, laser eyes, and undoubtedly more – but we can look forward to the usual “training to control his powers” sequence later on.
Although the flow of the story was interrupted about halfway through with a four-page Snickers advertisement, but I think that’ll be a common complaint with every DC comic this month.
Viktor Bogdanovik’s artwork suits the story nicely, with a nice use of shading and coloring with clear and easily distinguishable character designs. There’s some nice uses of shadows, particularly when Kenan is talking to his father, and when Dr. Omen makes her entrance, and the red skies at dusk during their meeting works nicely both artistically and symbolically.
The city scenes, set in Shanghai, are decorated with massive buildings and billboards (including one for Wayne Tech), and the crowd scenes feel, well, crowded. Even in them, each character has a specific look and feel, even the otherwise generic background characters. They’re contrasted with the blue vastness inside the Ministry of Self-Reliance’s headquarters, which has very few people but a lot of mysteries.
Continued belowSpeaking of the artwork, we must look at the design of this New Super-Man. The suit is mostly shades of red, with golden trim, and while he doesn’t have a cape yet, it looks like a black cape and boots will bring it together. Like Superman wore the red, white, and blue of the American flag, so does this Super-Man wear the red of China, with the gold stars of the flag on his shoulders. While the big S is still on his chest, it’s in an octagon instead of the shield shape, as 8 is a lucky number in Chinese culture.
In short, everything you’d expect from a Superman made in China, as the comic boasts him to be.
And the fact that we’re even getting a Chinese Superman is pretty noteworthy. Representation matters, and legacy characters are a great way to see a familiar role through another culture’s lenses. This isn’t just changing a character for the sake of representation either; we still have the Pre-Flashpoint Superman, Supergirl, and even Lex Luthor doing their own Superman business. This is a new character with his own take on the Superman legacy. While I may be about as white as it gets, my girlfriend is Chinese-American (and helped me identify some of the more culturally significant bits of symbolism that I would not have otherwise noticed), and she’s thrilled to see a Chinese teen take on the role of such an iconic character.
With the shadowy “Ministry of Self-Reliance” lurking over his shoulder to both create and control their New Super-Man, and a new team of Chinese superheroes on the rise, things are setting up nicely. One thing I do wonder about is the status of the Great Ten, who were introduced back in “52.” While that was pre-Flashpoint, August General In Iron made it through the New 52 reboot as a member of the Justice League International, so a Chinese team is not unprecedented. Hopefully the old team will at least get a passing nod.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – A very nice introduction, featuring strong artwork, characters, and plenty of room to grow both the story and individuals within it. I look forward to seeing where the story goes and how Kenan grows.
