Warning: Spoilers for Sinister Sons #3

DC Comics has a long history of sneaking cameos and Easter eggs into stories, with David Bowie being the latest celebrity to receive a nod. In a recent issue of Sinister Sons, a series following the misadventures of General Zod and Sinestro’s sons, a classic Bowie song gets a brilliant nod.

In DC’s Sinister Sons #3 by Peter J. Tomasi and Vasco Georgiev, Sinson and Lor-Zod’s adventure continues, with the pair now trapped in the bowels of an alien whale in deep space. While there, they encounter a man who declares himself to be Major Tom, and he’s intent on stealing their ship in order to escape his own captivity in the belly of the beast. Naturally, the Sinister Sons aren’t willing to let that happen.

However, far from the energy of a yellow sun, Lor-Zod’s Kryptonian strength is unavailable, and the mysterious astronaut is unfazed by the duo’s attacks. Despite proving victorious, the trio are left in a predicament when Tom is unable to take their ship without their voice command. Beyond being a fun new conflict for the boys, the “Spaceman” Major Tom is clearly a reference to one of David Bowie’s most beloved songs.

The Sinister Sons Crossed Paths with a “Spaceman” Named Major Tom

DC’s David Bowie Homage Is a Genuine Delight

DC’s Sinister Sons revolves around the travels of Lor-Zod and Sinson, the sons of General Zod and Sinestro, respectively. A fun inversion of Tomasi’s work on Super Sons, the series follows the young villains as they set out to show they’re worthy of their family names. In this story, they encounter a character designed to be a fun Easter egg for a classic Bowie song, “Space Oddity.” With a design clearly inspired by the Ziggy Stardust musician, DC has a cool new character on their hands, one sure to please fans of the late pop star.

As the issue continues, the giant space whale begins its feeding by diving into water. Its interior is flooded, forcing Major Tom to rescue the helpless Sinister Sons. With the trio forming a tenuous alliance for the sake of escaping the beast, Tom insists they not kill their host and instead search for a way out. When Lor-Zod inquires as to what the creature fears, their astronaut friend sets the stage for the next issue by explaining it’s the same thing all whales fear: being hunted. With a band of alien whalers on the surface, the three figures below get ready for their next challenge.

Major Tom Is One of DC’s Best Recent Additions

Sinister Sons Continues to Be Massive Amounts of Fun

Small, one-off side characters are often difficult to make memorable in the eyes of readers, partly due to the reluctance of creators to waste a good idea on a small role. However, in Major Tom, readers have been given a great done-in-one side character based on one of the most iconic musicians of all time. Replete with a streak across his face reminiscent of Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust character, the astronaut is a great callback to one of the singer’s strangest songs — itself a staple of ’60s pop culture.

Considering Sinister Son #3’s themes of being stuck in the far reaches of space, it’s hard to beat a “Space Oddity”-inspired astronaut living inside a space whale. The character’s style is completely on-brand for both the series and Tomasi’s writing style, giving readers a brilliant pop culture reference for a book about two rebellious villain kids. Major Tom is a David Bowie-inspired character DC Comics would do well to make use of beyond this story, as his cosmic odyssey vibe meshes perfectly with this side of the publisher.

Sinister Sons #3 is available now from DC Comics.