Written by: Jeff Lemire
Arted by: Pier GalloSuperboy is back in a brand-new ongoing series! Join Jeff Lemire (SWEET TOOTH) and amazing up-and-coming artist Pier Gallo as they take Superboy on a journey to a side of Smallville not even Superman knows about! What mysteries lurk beneath the surface of this all-American town – and what are their direct ties to Superboy? The start of the next great DC Universe epic begins right here!
Since he returned, readers have been clamoring for a Superboy/Connor Kent series. When they announced Jeff Lemire was going to be writing it, most comic readers went absolutely gaga at the prospect of Lemire writing this character.
But does it work in actual execution? Find out what I think of the first issue after the jump.
This was a very interesting read for me, and one that I’ve found pretty hard to really figure out how I really feel.
Let’s start with the good: Jeff Lemire gets Connor Kent. That much is completely obvious. In fact, he seems to get every aspect of him better than almost any writer out there. Not just from an emotional/mental/personality standpoint, but from a power standpoint. The way that Connor takes down Parasite in this issue is just fantastic and something we don’t see Connor do very often, but something he’s very capable of doing. Throw a continuation of the sharp, emotive characterization Geoff Johns started in his Adventure Comics run, and you’ve got an A+ rendition of a character that very rarely gets it.
The plot at hand is solid too, as Parasite comes to visit Smallville to still Connor’s powers, we get a surprise visit from Poison Ivy, Lemire establishes three important relationships in Lori Luthor, Simon Valentine, and Ma Kent, and all kinds of other exposition heavy things you’d expect from a first issue.
Something about the issue feels disjointed to me though. It could easily be tied to the fact that it’s a first issue, but for some reason the flow read a little off to me. I know that’s not exactly critical thinking there, but I can’t ignore the fact that this feeling was there.
The other thing that sort of bothered me was the art. While Rafael Albuquerque’s cover was without a doubt a stunner, Pier Gallo’s interiors were a bit uneven for me. Some parts looked really sharp (our introduction to Connor as he sat up on a grain silo with Krypto), other parts looked really kind of bad (Connor’s alter-ego in high school was ridiculous looking – the glasses!). There are enough positive elements here to indicate this book can and will get better from a visual standpoint, but as it stands now scene and character design just reads awkwardly to me.
Overall though, this book was a solid first issue for a character who many creators have had issues getting a good feel for. Lemire feels like he’s on the Geoff Johns side of things, as he seems to really get the character. I can say that going forward, I feel like we’re in good hands, and I will definitely be buying the next issue.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – Buy
