Brian Michael Bendis has dealt many a tragedy to the superheroes through his career. But nothing compares Superman missing his sons childhood.
Spoilers for Action Comics #1028 below!
Jon Kent's fractured childhood and separation from his father is the greatest tragedy of the Brian Michael Bendis era of Superman comics. The son of the original Clark Kent and Lois Lane of the Post-Crisis DC Universe, Jon Kent emerged alongside his parents at the tail end of DC's New 52 reboot. With the Superman and Lois of the New 52 dead, the Post-Crisis version of the couple and their son took the reins just in time for DC's Rebirth event. Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason's run chronicled the life and times of the Kent family, taking a particularly hard look at the young Jon Kent and his burgeoning superpowers. Jon would take the role of Superboy, where he would prove to have inherited his father's good nature as well as his powers. With a set of loving parents and a beloved friendship with Damian Wayne, Jon had an ideal childhood. Then writer Brian Michael Bendis rocked that status-quo to drastic effect.
Bendis' run saw Jon jettisoned off into space with his grandfather, Jor-El. He arrived back to Earth after three weeks away, but it was clear that much more time on Earth had passed. He was gone for seven years, to be exact. Jon's age isn't the only thing to have changed through Bendis' run; the young man has been recruited by the Legion of Super-Heroes, his father revealed his identity to the world, and a mysterious criminal syndicate called the Invisible Mafia has been operating in Metropolis. While Jon has been reunited with his friends and family, it's a vastly different world they now live in.
Action Comics #1028 by Bendis, John Romita Jr., Klaus Janson, Brad Anderson, and Dave Sharpe is a busy issue full of several developments and father-son bonding. After Daily Planet owner Jimmy Olsen hands creative control of the paper to Perry White, and Conner Kent is reunited with his parents in Smallville, Clark, and Jon take the day to help out the people of Metropolis. This includes delivering food to the homeless, helping out with a school bus crash, and nabbing a few criminals. They even manage to squeeze in a few tacos with Batman and Robin while they're at it. At the end of the day, the father and son reflect on their relationship and Clark's unfortunate absence from most of Jon's formative years.
It's a touching and emotional comic that showcases a look at what could have been and just how much Clark and Jon both lost while the latter was away. While Jon can talk to his Dad about girls and his own crimefighting now, he didn't get to for seven long years. Being a teenager is tough, and Jon had to do it without either of his parents there for guidance. Another relationship harmed is Jon and Damian's. Superboy is much older than the former Robin now, and the two won't get to grow up together.
Lois and Clark will also never get back those seven years with their son. And neither will the readers. Jon's parents and comic book fans will never get to see him grow from a young boy to the powerhouse he is today. It's sad and the fact that the Future State event looks to be separating the Kent family yet again makes the moments like the ones in Action Comics #1028 that much more emotional. A writer as prolific as Brian Michael Bendis has to send a few cruelties to his heroes every now and then - he certainly put Daredevil through the wringer. But Superman, arguably the greatest symbol of hope and decency in American pop-culture, didn't get to raise his son. That is one of the greatest tragedies in modern comic books.
