Written by Scott Lobdell
Illustrated by RB SilvaThey thought he was just an experiment — and a failed one at that! Grown from a combination of Kryptonian and human DNA, the Clone was no more than a set of data to the scientists of Project N.O.W.H.E.R.E. But when the scope of his stunning powers was revealed, he became a deadly weapon! Now the question is: Can a clone develop a conscience?
In the DCnU, there was bound to be a Superboy! Ever since his appearance after the death of Clark, he’s been a mainstay, and he stuck around post Flashpoint with an altered origin that includes some new and familiar faces along for the ride. But does this book fly high like Superman, or sink to the depths like Lex Luthor’s depravity?
Check it out after the cut!
Scott Lobdell had a lot to accomplish. Taking over both Teen Titans and Superboy, he had to tell a brand new narrative that combined three different timelines. Sure there was the expected Superboy timeline which would kick off the Teen Titans in a couple weeks, but he chose the less obvious route and added the Gen13 story to the narrative as well. At first glance, the Gen13 influences seem off-putting and out of place, but the inclusion of the Wildstorm character Caitlin Fairchild and the basic plot of Gen13, adapted for the DCnU, really works for this property, and fits neatly with the Superboy origin.
But speaking of Superboy (you know, the star of the book), the strange happenstance of his creation seems to be mostly intact, and while it feels like it’s going to be explored again for the sake of new readers, that’s certainly welcome as the retcon will feel less cheap if it’s established as always been known. Lobdell told the story with a psychological twist, testing Conner’s reactions to stimuli and giving people an insight into his psyche which hasn’t been explored for some time. Giving him a more alien perspective will help the reader discover this world along with him, and make him more relatable, almost ironically given his alien nature. It’s even a smart move to do as such, because it brings his creation a little closer in line with the Young Justice Conner, who was introduced as being born in a lab, and is struggling to adjust while being so angry.
The supporting cast, which at the moment consists of everyone’s favorite daughter of an assassin Rose Wilson and the aforementioned Caitlin Fairchild, is written well and their chemistry will be a more than welcome addition to the series as they work with Superboy and help him acclimate to the real world. While Caitlin has some shy qualities, Rose is as boisterous and sarcastic as she always was, and as the handler for Superboy, she’s probably being set up as a potential love interest for our “trans-terrestrial clone,” which also happens to be a killing machine. It remains to be seen if we’ll meet any other supporting characters at this point aside from the odd cameo (unless the appearance of Lois means more than a one-off appearance), but if there are more, one can hope they’ll be just as lively.
But while Lobdell’s work was more than serviceable and quite good, it’s raised to the level of outstanding by the work from his collaborator RB Silva. The fact he got Silva to work on this book is an absolute steal and a win for the book, as his pencils are always crisp and clear with beautiful layouts and thick crisp lines. The lines help give Silva his definitive and unique style and the page feels more alive when created from his pencil. He finds a way to make women beautiful without making them too cheese-cakey; an attribute which feels like it’s getting rarer and rarer these days to be honest. The work he does with the inker and colorists (Rob Lean and The Hories, respectively) work together with Silva to make the art some of the best the DCnU has so far this month. If there’s one issue I have with the art as a whole, it’s the fact all these scientists that are studying Superboy have these strange armor-like uniforms. Even if it is a paramilitary installation (and let’s face it, they always are) the armor would feel heavy and would probably be clunky for something like what they’re working on.
Overall, the book is a solid re-introduction to the Superboy universe. It’s not quite as good as Papa Superman’s re-debut Action Comics, but it’s better than a lot of the rest of the stuff out there. Check it out.
Final Verdict: 7.0 – Buy
