Convergence: Superman #2 (2015)

Convergence: Superman #2 (July, 2015)
Writer/Artist – Dan Jurgens
Ink Art – Norm Rapmund
Letters – Tom Napolitano
Color – Brad Anderson
Assistant Editor – Brittany Holzherr
Editor – Marie Javins
Cover Price: $3.99

Sometimes I feel a bit weird about covering “key” issues.  I never think I can add anything that hasn’t already been said.  Today we’re going to discuss a wonderful issue… and one that features the first appearance of our current post-Rebirth Superboy, Jonathan Kent.


Let’s get right down to it…


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We open with Batman receiving some intel regarding the goings on toward the end of the previous chapter.  His monitors display the fight between his teammates and this new mysterious Kryptonian (and his compatriot in the flying car).  He again considers that this man may hail from Barry Allen’s universe… the one in which his son Bruce still lives.

On the battlefield, Superman regains the upper hand.  He again suggests a peaceful resolution… however, the Flashpointers remain wary.  They cite the disembodied voice that delivered THE SPEECH.  One city lives… one dies.  And so, they lay into the Man of Steel.  While Captain Thunder pummels Superman, he hears Lois’ cry for help over his earpiece.  Now… there isn’t anything or anyone on any planet that can stop him.

Superman smashes Captain Thunder’s head into the dirt.  Abin Sur and Cyborg take up the slack and begin to unload… that is, until Jimmy Olsen finally makes himself useful by nailing them with a Whiz Wagon wallop of a blast.

Jimmy gives Superman the thumbs up… and, perhaps I’m reading a bit deep, but seems to hint at knowing Superman and Clark Kent are the same fella.  He’s like, if Lois should be about to give birth… she might want her husband with her… wink wink.  Eh, who knows… Either way, Superman heads toward the Gotham he’s called home for the past year.

How much do you know, Olsen?

At the Batcave, Subject-1 arrives with a ready-to-pop Lois Lane.  Batman is surprised that El sussed out all of his secrets… but, ya know… Kryptonian.  No secrets here, pal.  We get a bit of expositional information about the Project: Superman miniseries… reaffirming that Lois Lane was very important to Subject-1.  Wayne is a bit put off… he’s not sure how bringing in a pre-Flashpointer might effect the “rules” of the Convergence game.

Superman arrives at his and Lois’ apartment… and sees that his wife set up the webcam to record what had occurred there earlier.  Also, she is still in possession of the earpiece, which makes her a bit easier to track.  Abin Sur arrives, however, comes in peace.  He suggests that Superman is not his enemy, and proceeds to fill him in on Subject-1’s Lois Lane-fixation.  

He also provides the origin for the Flashpoint Batman… we already know that this ain’t Bruce, but Thomas.  Superman understands what this likely means.  El brought her to Thomas because he’s a doctor… and, ya know… it might just be time.

Superman makes haste, and arrives at the Batcave pretty quick.  On his way in he spears Subject-1 into a wall… which is pretty cool.  Superman and Batman make it clear right off the bat that they have no reason to fight… he even suggests Lois deliver here in the Batcave, as it would keep them safer from an irate Captain Thunder.  Hospitality notwithstanding, Thomas refuses to deliver the baby.  He’s given up such things since losing his son.

It’s up to Clark to deliver his own child… and it takes almost two whole hours.

At 5:18, Lois Lane-Kent gave birth to a bouncing baby boy.  The new parents bounce a few baby-names off one another, and settle on a name that pays tribute to both of their fathers.  Welcome to the Universe Jonathan Samuel Kent.

We close out with the Super-family expressing their love for one another… which, for all we knew… was going to be the last time we ever saw them.

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I absolutely loved and hated this issue the first time I read it.  It was bar-none the greatest Superman story I’d read in… probably over a decade.  After almost four years of the New-52… and several years of weird stories which spanned from Superman books without Superman in them… to a Superman who decided he was going to walk across the country, this was an unexpected and absolute pleasure.


This was a Superman I could actually recognize.  Not an attitudinal, brash, collared Superman… but the one that I can imagine looking up to.  This is “the symbol”… the hero all other heroes being in awe of… which is never a feeling I got from the New-52 iteration.


So yeah… loved this.  But, also hated it.  Hated it for being so good… for being so, at the time… final.  I hated that we were leaving these amazing characters behind.  This ties such a beautiful bow on the post-Crisis Lois and Clark, that it really felt as though the final page was their “in amber” moment.  I do recall that Convergence ended with the Kents heading back to avert the Crisis on Infinite Earths… so, yeah… I think the smart money was on them never showing up again.


This story was so good… that it’s hard for me to point out some bits and pieces, but I’m gonna anyway.  There is very little resolution here in regard to the Gotham vs. Gotham… which, if I’m being honest, I couldn’t care less about.  Still worth a mention, though.  Does the pre-Flashpoint Gotham “die” because their “champion” left?  Who knows.  Maybe they mentioned it in the main Convergence miniseries… I don’t recall, and I’m not interested enough to dig it out.


This is the issue where a I kind of feel like a veil was lifted for me.  It was with this story that I came to realize something that I should have known for the past couple of decades… that Dan Jurgens is the definitive Superman creator of my generation/lifetime.  So much of how I view Superman… hell, comics in general, I owe to the talents of Dan Jurgens.  I bought (and read) every single issue of the Convergence event… and I gotta say, since it made this two-parter possible, it was all worth it.


Like I said yesterday… this mini is highly recommended.  It is the story from which the Superman we read today stemmed.  If you haven’t read it… you probably should.  I can’t help but feel DC missed the mark by not including this in the Road to Rebirth-branded Superman: Lois and Clark trade paperback.  Still worth tracking down, though!


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Variant Cover:

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