Super Sons Join Forces with Dynomutt and Blue Falcon

Blue Falcon and Dynomutt were two of my favorite Saturday Morning cartoon characters. Granted, almost every Hanna-Barbera product in the 70s qualified, it was the supeheroes who always had the greater appeal, even if the sidekick was a klutzy talking dog who preceded Inspector Gadget with his array of built-in technological blunders.

With SUPER SONS / DYNOMUTT AND THE BLUE FALCON, writer Peter J Tomasi and artists Fernando Pasarin and Oclair Albert have done an outstanding job. The dynamics of Blue Falcon and Batman have been blended together seamlessly in a way that it's conceivable both properties could have existed alongside each other all along. Tomasi even retroactively places Blue Falcon into the ranks of Batman, Incorporated, and Damian makes a vague reference to Dynomutt having saved him once in a Mystery Machine, which has to be a Scooby-Doo reference we need to see told.

The story begins with the Kent family at a funeral for a Daily Planet colleague. Jon is uncomfortable being around the event, and Damian is there to rescue him to go on a patrol in Big City. But they are soon confronted with a dying Dynomutt who needs a rescue and taken back to the Falcon's Lair for repairs. Along the way, we are given a strong origin story for the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt that fills in all the backstory we ever need. But we also get the origin of Blue Falcon's arch-nemisis, Red Vulture, and it's a classic case of the hero creating his own worst enemy.

Dynomutt's injuries stem from none other than Blue Falcon himself, who has succumbed to the brainwashing of the Red Vulture. It's up to Robin and Superboy to take down the man who is almost equal to Batman in all respects, physically and technologically. Can Dynomutt get through to the real Blue Falcon before it's too late?

At it's heart, Tomasi's story is one of death, and how to learn to cope with it -- or how not to, in some cases. Pasarin's pencils are superb, and Jonathan Kent is drawn to look like a pint-sized Christopher Reeve -- which is absolutely perfect.

The DC / Hanna-Barbera crossovers have always been hit or miss, but even when they miss they're still fun to see the modern reinterpretations. SUPER SONS / DYNOMUTT AND THE BLUE FALCON is not a miss. It's a bonafide hit!