Review: Superboy #18

Superboy #18 came out last week, the first issue post-H'El on Earth. Of all the characters in that arc, Superboy came out the best. Over the course of the story, he recognizes Superman for the hero he is, joins the fight against H'El, refuses to give up when Supergirl pounds him, and is crucial to H'El's 'defeat'. On top of this, much of his heroics occur when he is clinging to life after H'El devastated him on a genetic level. It was refreshing to see him take such a step forward, even while I sadly watched Kara take two steps back.

With H'El behind us and a fresh persecptive from Kon, as well as maybe new readers on board, and new writer Justin Jordan a couple of issues away, Superboy #18 seemed like as a good an issue as any to recalibrate the book. And this issue does just that, even if most of the story is told by the villain rather than from Superboy himself. It is an outsider learning about Kon and that works well here ... after all, we are outsiders too. Scott Lobdell comes back on the title as writer here continuing his efforts with the character from Superman.

I usually applaud RB Silva's art on the book. But this issue looked a bit rushed and not as polished as I am used to. I liked the clean crisp look of the earlier issues. Iban Coello chips in on a handful of pages.

Now you might remember a few months back that I blasted this book for having Superboy become a bank robber. As much as the writers tried to convince me, this wasn't a victimless crime, it is a major crime, and this wasn't ignorance of the law since he went out of his way to elude capture.

I want my heroes stopping bank robbers not being bank robbers.

Well, someone in DC must have felt the same thing. Because here, on the opening page, is Superboy realizing that what he did was wrong and returning whatever money he has left. And he feels remorse. Despite the standard 'I am a living weapon' opening comments, he clearly is growing more human, manifesting a conscience. And I, for one, am glad. Because there is only so far you can go with the 'angry bitter clone doing what he wants to do when he wants to and not caring about anyone else' path. It pretty much is a literary dead end. So kudos to editorial or Lobdell or DeFalco for moving Kon back onto the hero's path.

You know what did confuse me though? Kon himself looking so spry! What exactly happened with the 'I'm dying, my genes have been ripped apart' plot point? Like so much of H'El on Earth, it seems to have been ignored or forgotten. That annoys me as a reader.

Of course, this is comics and crazy coincidences are bound to happen.

So it turns out the night that Superboy is returning the money he stole, Plasmus is going to rob the bank. That's crazy! It is an easy way to explain away the missing thousands and shift the blame away from Superboy.

It also allows us to see Superboy's growth once again. Here he tries to stop Plasmus from performing the very same 'victimless crime' he commited just a couple of months ago. It is an interesting turn of events, flipping Kon's recent decisions on their heads.

Also, Kon quips his way through the fight, putting him more in line with the last rendition of the Superboy character. I wonder if this is a super-super-super-soft reboot, tweaking the character just a bit.

We are then introduced to the DCnU version of Dr. Psycho. He is nearby, acting as a psychic, and fleecing some folks desperate to hear from the hereafter.

When we first meet him, he is spouting vague statements trying to convince this woman he is contact with the dead. But during this phony reading, he is using telepathic powers to learn ATM pin numbers, account numbers, etc. He is going to rob her blind. So ... if he is a decent enough telepath that he can learn codes, he can't skim her for memories from her past to convince her he can talk to the dead?

He has escaped from H.I.V.E. and is on the run. That lower panel was confusing at first. It took a while for me to realize that was a flashback of him hiding and not him talking to someone else in the room.

And is it just me or is there a whiff of the old Legion reservist Kid Psycho in his look.

Much like with H'El, I don't quite know what Psycho's powers are. He definitely is a telepath. He is drawn to Superboy's power and states he will 'drain' him of that power. And then, a surprise to even Psycho himself, he astral projects, leaving his physical body and entering Superboy's mind.

Now these are my favorite pages in the book, a look into Superboy's mind. Here, in the rec room of his mind Fairchild is doing the watusi with Red Robin, his neighbor Dallas is playing twister with Psyblade, Ridge is kicking back with a beer. There is even a battle in the background. And yet, despite that frivolity and action, Superboy still feels himself to be 'other', still a thing in a nutrient tube, still separate. That isn't explained ... it is just shown. And that is powerful. Internally, he still has a self-image of 'it'.

While all of that is happening, Superboy is basically trading blows with Plasmus. One blow is jarring enough to throw Psycho's astral self out of Superboy and back into his body.

It is clear that Psycho isn't too confident with his powers or his ability to defend himself. That is a pretty empty 'kneel before' statement.

Plasmus and Superboy re-engage leaving Dr. Psycho to figure out his next move.

So after being surprised that he can astrally project a couple of pages ago, Psycho decides to jump again, try to drain Superboy of his power, or (even better) possess him and take control of his body.

Just a couple of minor gripes here. Nothing major. But it seems off that Psycho is so confident in being able to do this when a couple of pages ago he didn't know how he jumped and was basically 'trapped' in that tube.

But more importantly, we know very little about Psycho but one thing we do know is he wants desperately to protect and shield himself from harm. So it seems odd that he would leave his physical body, which is defenseless while he is 'out of body', in the middle of this Plasmus/Superboy war zone. At least find a corner to hide in before doing this.

Again, minor gripes.

Ah, but what a cliffhanger. Inside Superboy's mind, Psycho runs into Lex Luthor who has been waiting for 'him'. My guess is this is some pre-recorded message deep in Superboy's mind from his other 'daddy' Luthor. Psycho was basically the first to plumb those depths, even before Superboy himself.

It isn't much of a surprise to hear that Luthor is part of Superboy's DNA given the prior incarnation. But I am glad that piece of his history has carried forward. I also think it is interesting that this is yet another layer in Superboy's mind. There is reality. There are N.O.W.H.E.R.E.'s subliminals where he courted Rose in Smallville. There are Harvest's subliminal subliminals where he is brainwashing Kon to hate Superman. And now there is the Luthor zone of his mind.

That's a lot of layers. Will it be more parfait than onion?

I have to say that I liked this issue more than most of the last half-year of this book. Superboy seems to be on the right path again. While I am sure there will be speed bumps at least he seems to have a better concept of right and wrong. The panels showing how he imagines himself was very interesting, a nice look inside. And Lex as daddy! All good.

I don't know enough about this Dr. Psycho to have a clear leaning. I loved to hate the old Wonder Woman villain so this guy might suffer in comparison.

And RB Silva's art just seemed rougher than usual, which was just a bit distracting.

Still overall, a nice step in the right direction.

Overall grade: B+

Review: Superboy Annual #1

Superboy Annual #1 came out this week, a sort of ancillary chapter to the H'El On Earth storyline.

There is a lot to talk about in regards to this annual, unfortunately not much of it revolves around the story. This is an annual, a bigger issue than the standard monthly book, but the story seems small. It feels like this could have easily been told in 20 pages (or less) but instead we have a sort of retread of scenes and even dialogue within the issue itself. As the two heroes battle monsters in several 'dimensions', Superboy states he is snarky many times, he says Superman lectures several times, Superman denies lecturing but then wonders if he does twice. Superboy says "egocentric much" and "paranoid much" within a 3 panel sequence.

So even though there are some nice scenes where Superman and Superboy are getting to know each other, revealing some of their backgrounds to each other, and maybe appreciating each others' viewpoint a little, the problem is these scenes seem to repeat themselves here, as if the story needed to be stretched to fill the page count.

And I don't think I am wrong in my guess that there were some last minute rewrites and finagling of this book. For one, look at that art list. Could some of these artists be brought in last minute to redraw some pages to fit the new script?

And let's not forget the original cover and solicit  for this book.

SUPERBOY ANNUAL #1
Written by TOM DeFALCO
Art by YVEL GUICHET

• As the battle to stop H’El rages on, Superman learns the truth about just what Superboy is...But is it the whole truth?
• Rose Wilson of The Ravagers crashes back into Superboy’s life — and she’s got some dangerous new ideas about his destiny!
• And if you thought the drama between Superboy and Superman was intense...Just wait until Rose’s father enters the mix!

While Rose appears in one flashback panel, there is no Deathstroke to be seen here. Now there is a man/woman pair within the story that might just be placeholders for the Deathstroke/Ravager spots in the original story.

So what we get is a book which only touches on H'El on Earth tangentially. It is a muddled story. And in the end, this feeling that things aren't quite right here takes away from some interesting introspection by Superboy.

I'll also add that Tom DeFalco's script has Superboy talk in some places like an older guy trying to sound like a young kid. The slang and sarcasm seems forced in some places.

As for the art, you can't get that many artists on one book without it feeling disjointed in some places.

I'll try to focus on the highlights.

We open up with a warped Superboy realizing that he has done something important. He has made a choice, on his own, to do something good ... to do something for someone else.

I think about Superboy right now as a sort of character in a Philip K. Dick novel. He is trying to figure out is he a human or is he an automaton, is he in control or being controlled, is he 'real' or not. And so these critical moments where he takes a stand, breaks out of his 'I am a weapon' speeches show some growth.

Superman reveals this place is a prison used by a space pirate named Garso, someplace he could send his enemies. And, the conversation is being observed by someone from afar.

Now why this first dimension had to have warped physics, stretching the characters like taffy, I don't know. It doesn't seem to impact things other than to let the artists have some fun with perspective. Because soon after landing here, they end up in another dimension.

I think I have mentioned in some places that Supergirl is being treated shabbily in this arc.

Even here she wonders out loud why Superman would be against the resurrection of Superman. You would think she would want to ask him his reasons. You would think she might ask H'El how he is going to save things.

And the irony of her constantly talking about how the fate of a world is in the balance knowing that it is the fate of Earth not Krypton just makes her sound that much more doltish.

I want an intelligent and strong Supergirl. Someone taken in so quickly by a stranger is neither.

Leaving the warped dimension, the two heroes end up in something more Kansas-like. However, the soil itself comes alive and attacks them. And here is the first of the 'lecturing' back and forth.

What is nice is that Superman reveals his background, growing up on a farm, living his whole life on Earth. In return, Superboy reveals his clone origins, N.O.W.H.E.R.E., and the subliminals he was raised on.

Superman, naturally, has questions about how his DNA got taken and who Superboy is supposed to kill. So I thought these interactions were good as the two seem to be engaging in some camaraderie, Superboy taking in the good things about Superman and Superman listening to how he is perceived. But it is weighed down by some fairly stilted dialogue.

"Paranoid much" just sounds forced, especially one panel away from 'egocentric much'. And this leads Superman to talk about how snarky Superboy is.

This whole aspect of Superboy becoming more independent and recognizing his self-worth is probably the thing I am most intrigued about with his character.

Throughout his stay in this place he feels echoes of pain and sorrow which turn out to be from the place itself. Originally built to be something good (a hospital) she has been corrupted by the pirates into a 'murdering prison', basically weaponized. Of course Superboy is going to feel that this place is a kindred spirit. And of course he is going to want to help her if only to give himself hope.

I don't know how I feel about him having latent telepathy though. This weird version of tactile TK still confuses me.

But those moments seem lost in this rushed and repetitive narrative.

Even simple things like Kara's s-shield being backwards just stand out as this being a rush job.

When it becomes clear that Superboy can communicate with the planetary entity, the two criminals who were peeping decide to show up, hoping Superboy can free them.

Now it is a man and a woman, Garso's brother and his consort, who have been trapped there for years.

Could this pair have been Deathstroke and Rose in some prior incarnation of the script? Could that have been part of the rewrite?

Luckily Superboy can still communicate with this thing and together they send the two criminals away, marooned on some distant asteroid. With them gone, this place can begin to heal and become a healing place again. And now in control of its functions, the planet spits the Supers out, back on Earth just a couple of minutes after they were sucked in.

In the end, it is sort of a 'whatever' moment. We don't know these villains. We don't know this place. It is unlikely we will ever see them again. And the two Supers are back too soon for their disappearance to really effect things.

So does a couple of good character moments between Superboy and Superman save this book? Does Superboy helping someone in his predicament reach independence elevate this? No matter how good those moments are, I just don't think so. There are too many repetitive scenes, too much disconnects in the art flow, too much that makes this just read like a rush job.

And, most of all, it just doesn't progress H'El on Earth at all.

Still, Superboy seems to be moving along on his hero's journey while Supergirl is taking some steps back.

Overall grade: C

Review: Superboy #16

Superboy #16 came out last Wednesday and was a fun issue and a decent chapter in the otherwise underwhelmed H'El on Earth crossover. The overall feel of this issue was of a more classic super-hero comic but within that punch-em-up feel were a couple of small moments and lines that added a lot of subtle depth to the characters here.

But the thing that sort of stuck out here was the slow evolution of Superboy into a hero. He is on the hero's journey too and should be growing towards something. Of course the beginning of his journey is a muddy mess of cloning, implanted memories over subliminal horrors, a strong sense of independence that initially manifested as being an isolated bratty bank robber, and being used in other comics as a plot point rather than a character. He hasn't been an easy guy to like as some of my prior reviews have shown. But in this issue, even if he continues to talk a good fight about being an angst-driven loner, his actions speak a lot louder as he heroes up and does what's right. Congratulations to writer Tom DeFalco for scrubbing some of the mud off of Kon and bringing him a little more into the light. I actually like Kon in this issue. I haven't always been able to say that.

In fact, the one glaring down side to this issue was ... not surprisingly ... the characterization of Supergirl who is just being played as the patsy here, someone gullible and emotionally distraught, easily swayed and hardly strong.

The art for the issue is done by the team of Iban Coello and Amilcar Pinna. It is bright and dynamic in most places, great in some other.

The issue opens with an assault on the Fortress of Solitude by the JLA and Superboy.

This is a great opening splash, drawing you right into the story as you see a great image of a powerful Wonder Woman ripping robots to shreds.

But the opening monologue is solid as well. Yes, there is the usual 'I am a weapon that others use' droning, that self-pitying, almost self-loathing speech we have seen  almost every issue. Except ... we get that last box that shows that he might be a bit more inspired being surrounded by someone as good as Diana. It is a glimmer of something in the dark prose.

And even if he describes himself as a weapon, this is his choice to be here. He isn't a tool for someone to use. He has decided to do good.

And another thing that I really liked here was the return of true tactile telekinesis.

Now I don't know exactly why the Kryptonian armor is altering things but I like the change. The powers he was using before was frankly simple telekinesis. I always thought the 'tactile' part made his powers a bit more unique and interesting in the old universe. So this is a welcome change.

We the flash back to how the team got there. Meeting in Professor Veritas' lab, Superman reveals that H'El has broken in. No big surprise, Batman has come up with a way to get in, using Superboy's telekinesis to rip apart the force field H'El has erected. Once inside, Superman thinks a shard of Green K he keeps there can be used against H'El. Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superboy will lead a main charge. Superman and Cyborg will work the back entrance. And the Flash will speed in alone.

In some ways, this reminded me of early Justice League issues when the team would split up and try to fight a threat on many angles. There is a Gardner Fox feel here that is comforting.

Alas, Supergirl continues to be the patsy here. Inside the Fortress, H'El uses his powers to show Kara an idyllic scene of Kryptonians lounging on grass, enjoying a spring day ... that is until he shows her the same scene in the context of the planet's destruction. Shaken by this, Kara swears she will do whatever is necessary for H'El to succeed.

Except she still doesn't know the plan does she. And she seemed smarter than to be played like this. Early on in her own book, it felt like Zor-El taught her to be mentally tough and not get swayed or persuaded or fooled easily. This hysterical Kara seems wrong.

As I said, the Flash is on a solo mission and has to use every ounce of his speed and power to slowly work his way through the dense Kryptonian crystal.

I did like that his mission is a simple one ... rescue Supergirl. At least Superman has the fate and well being of his cousin on his mind. I thought that was a nice touch here.

Too bad Kara is quite happy with H'El and doesn't need to be 'rescued'.

With the force field down, the Batman team storm the Fortress. I thought this was also a very nice moment. With an army of K-Drones trying to stop them, Diana draws the line. She tells Superboy and Batman to move on while she stops the assault.

There is nothing quite as satisfying as a 'none shall pass' moment. Glad to see Diana get some time to shine.

Inside, Cyborg and Superman have a hard time fighting off killer droids and weapons that Superman has stashed in the Fortress.

Superboy and Batman discover that the Kryptonite is already gone. H'El has taken it.

And here is a nice Batman moment. When Superboy asks about plan B, Batman says he is already into the double letter plans. That Batman, always prepared. He says it so matter-of-factly. Perfect.

Another thing I liked is Superboy spotting Space Arks in the Fortress. Maybe Superman has a plan already set should Earth ever be nearing an end like Krypton. His space ark fleet is already built.

So we have had a good Flash moment, a good Wonder Woman moment, and a good Batman moment.

As I said above, I liked Superboy's characterization throughout this book as he really acted like a hero in joining this group. But here was his moment to shine. With Superman being teleported through a never-ending run of pocket dimensions by a Fortress weapon, Superboy potentially sacrifices himself by jumping into the ray as well. He does it to try to save Superman because 'he is needed'.

This isn't the bank robber.  This isn't the 'kill maim destroy' pawn in Legion Lost. This isn't the kid fed memories telling him to kill Superman.

This is a hero doing what needs to be done. Nice. Finally.

We know that H'El on Earth ends with the arrival of The Oracle, whatever that is. Now we see that some of the Stormwatch stuff that has been worked into the Superman book before. This issue ends with a couple of pages showing the re-arrival of the hornblower we saw way back in the Superman book near the beginning of  the New 52. How does all that work into this mess.

So overall, this was the first Superboy issue in a long time that I can say I truly enjoyed. It had an old school JLA feel. It had some very nice moments for the JLA members. There was definitely a Silver Age sort of vibe here and I didn't mind that. It had Superman worrying about Kara enough to send the Flash in on a rescue mission. It had Superboy stepping up and becoming a hero. Even the glimpses into this new Fortress was fun.

In fact it had everything except a decent Supergirl. I really think that H'El on Earth is going to slow down the character momentum that Mike Johnson was building in her book.

Overall grade: B+