Written by Scott Lobdell
Illustrated by R.B. SilvaSuperboy has learned the truth about what he really is…and he’s not taking it well. Alone in New York and surrounded by holiday cheer, it’s a struggle to keep his emotions and his powers in check…and he’s on a crash course with a dangerous pair of murderous young metahumans who are more like him than he might want to admit!
Somewhere along the way of the DCnU, Scott Lobdell became the go-to guy for the younger corner of the New 52, penning Teen Titans, Red Hood and the Outlaws, and Superboy. Superboy has been, hands down, the best of the bunch, and with consistently great art by RB Silva, has consistently been one of the more satisfying of the total reboot books on the market. It has also been a place where a few familiar faces pop up in unexpected ways; both Rose Wilson and Caitlin Fairchild play key roles in the book, but little more than clues have been given as to what their ultimate role will be in this universe. The biggest knock on the book is that precious little has happened in the first three issues beyond giving us a fitting introduction to Superboy’s new status quo.
So, would Superboy start moving toward a more fulfilling plot, or would there be more treading water? Find out after the cut.
Since myself and my brethren here at Multiversity Comics have been looking at some past holiday comics for our Advent Calendar series, I have been getting better at being able to spot holiday cliche from a mile away. And let me tell you, my jingle-sense was tingling once we saw some carolers singing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” to our clone-pal in New York City.
[Unnecessary Side Note #1: “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is a song more often than not used in television/comics/movies about Christmas than it is actually used to celebrate the holiday. When was the last time you heard it in a commercial or on the radio? Yeah, I thought so.]The book, which starts out teasing a full-on Gen13 story, leaves behind the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. plot line for most of the issue to focus on Superboy struggling with his humanity and trying to understand humans.
[Unnecessary Side Note #2: DC is in love with acronyms right now: S.H.A.D.E., T.H.U.N.D.E.R., O.M.A.C., N.O.W.H.E.R.E.]Let me say this about this crisis of humanity: YAWN. Seriously, the easiest way to make a Super-character boring is to have them struggle with their relationship to humanity. This has been done to death, and this most current version of it is just as boring as most other attempts to do something similar. This one is even edgier though, because the not yet named Kon-El burns the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree! Take that Christians!
What I have enjoyed about this book so far (besides RB Silva’s art, and more on that in a minute) has been the truly new take on the Superboy character – this is neither young Clark Kent, nor mushroom cut & shades original Conner Kent, nor is it black t-shirt purchased at Hot Topic later era Conner. However, by having Superboy struggle with his duality, it is treading familiar ground, and doing it worse.
Now, what I do like is the complexity given to Caitlin Fairchild, revealed here, minor spoiler alert, to be trying to infiltrate N.O.W.H.E.R.E. from the inside, and she casually mentions that she is one of thirteen, without much more context given. This sets up a nice arc in the future of Gen13 and the Teen Titans coming together, potentially with Rose Wilson as a common enemy. Again, these are new stories, and so are welcomed.
What is also welcomed is the art of RB Silva, which continues to impress. The entire art team, including inker Rob Lean and colorists Richard and Tanya Horie, really shines with the contrasts presented in the book. Scenes with lots of shadow have reds that pop; scenes with lots of snow have dark sections cutting through the white. This is clearly an art team that works well together, and elevates a thoroughly mediocre script into something that at least looks interesting.
This is the first issue of the relaunched title that has left me cold, and I hope that this is a relatively short-lived path Lobdell and co. are taking. If not, then it seems that such an extreme reboot of the character would be for naught; if you are just going to tell the same old stories, then why should we buy them?
Final Verdict: 4.9 – Pass
