Review: Adventures Of Superman #4

Adventures of Superman #4 came out this week and continued to be one of the most enjoyable books that DC is putting out.  So far, each issue has really been a treat with at least one stand-out story in each. As a print guy, it pains me to hear comments on the weekly stories knowing I am going to wait for the paper copy.  With such high standards now expected, I have come to really look forward to this book.

Adventures #4 continued the trend. I have to say after the first reading I was a bit let down. But on subsequent readings, I was definitely pleased. This is an entertaining book allowing great creative teams to tell a brief Superman story, focusing on some facet that is fascinating. I hope DC doesn't change this format because it has been a home run.

Having a Bruce Timm cover with Clark in a classic pose is the cherry on top. This book inside and out really has a 'classic' feel to it and I am not complaining.

The first story is 'A Day in the Life' written by the tandem of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with art by penciller Wes Craig and inker Craig Yeung. It focuses on a day in the life of Lex Luthor. And the pages are broken in half such that the top half of the page shows Luthor's activities while the bottom half shows Superman fighting a sort of giant robot.

The split page technique was used recently on this book (with Lois talking to Lex on her part) so I thought it might have been too early to use it again. Of course, who knows if these teams have any idea what the next creators are planning.

But on second reading it works very well. Throughout the early pages, we see Superman struggling with the mecha. And above it all is Luthor who is extremely calm and collected regardless of who or what he is facing. He is unfazed by government officials. He is unfazed on a date with an upcoming starlet. He is even calm when facing Gorilla Grodd (and the old SSV). I mean look at him dab the corners of his mouth despite a huge telepathic gorilla threatening him!

And all the while he jots down ideas in a notebook on how to destroy Superman.

That calm is shattered when he has some face time with an angry Superman who knows (although can't prove) that Luthor was behind the robot attack. Suddenly Lex is a screaming, furious, his armor down. In some ways it humanized Lex to know that something could get under his skin.

And as interesting is Superman's rather terse response and his angry reaction, burning Lex's notebook with his head vision.

It was that sudden change in tone that made this story work for me. I liked this story a lot.

The middle story is 'The Deniers' by writer Tom Defalco and art by PeteWoods. I have to say this is a new, much more cartoony look for Woods. And that goes right down to Superman's uniform with the Fleisher Studios style S-shield.

It is something of a funny story as two plumbers in a dinner debate if Superman really exists, or at least has all the abilities he is vaunted to have. After all, wouldn't super-villains just sell their ideas rather than lead a life of crime. Also, despite years in the city, neither have seen him in person.

Of course, just outside, Superman is battling a robot squid, unseen by these two.

It is a cute story.

But for me, the best story of the book was 'Savior' by writer Rob Williams with art by Chris Weston. I loved the retro feel to this story, both in words and in art. The art has a sort of Currier & Ives prints sort of feel. I mean look at that last panel, hugging Ma in front of the weathered farmhouse, chickens at their feet, old pick-up in back.

In the story, Ma Kent (I guess Pa has passed like in the Donner movies) worries that Clark never has time to just sit down and relax. She wishes he could stay for dinner. But here, after fixing the clothesline, he already needs to rush off.

Telling a story from Ma's point of view is somewhat fresh. To hear her worry more about his mental well-being instead of fearing his life from physical confrontations is a nice wrinkle.

As is the case with these stories, we often get montage sequences to show the passing of time. We see Superman fighting classic versions Bizarro, Brainiac, Luthor (in the purple/green body suit),  as well as rescuing Lois (who is rescuing a kidnapped child). I thought all of that worked.

I especially liked this banter between Superman and Lois. She complains he was a little late. He drops her off at the Planet despite he being covered in filth (the bad guys were going to drown her in a sewer).

Can't those two just admit they love each other!!!!

Throughout the story we hear Ma's dialogue as we peek in on Superman's life.

She feels that Superman can't rest because his mind is always on those he couldn't save, always on the tragedy of Krypton. I don't think of Superman as being a morose guy, perseverating over his losses. But maybe I can understand if Ma thinks that. Maybe she is always a little afraid that Clark doesn't think of her truly as his mother when he knows about his biological parents. I suppose that is natural.

Despite the sad tones of these panels, I loved this scene. It really struck me as the Superman of my youth, back when I was first following the character. The Super-mobile, a thought beast, Beppo, Kandor, General Zod looking out the Phantom Zone viewer. Nostalgia sometimes is a good thing.

And then there is this sweet ending.

Maybe feeling a bit weighed down by life (boy that Kandor panel feels sad), Superman heads to Ma's for dinner. The title is Savior and the easy assumption is that refers to Superman as we see him whisk from one cataclysm to the next. But really it refers to Ma and how she is able to help Superman stay grounded, to take a breath and just be calm. She is the life saver.

Everything about this story works. The interesting point of view of Ma as narrator. The concept of a Superman who is sad about what he can't do. The country boy having dinner with his Ma ending. The superb artwork perfectly capturing the tone of the story. Everything works. It is wonderful.

So another great issue showcasing parts of the Superman legend I will always love.

Overall grade: B+

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 #17

Superboy #17 came out this week another chapter in H'El on Earth, and thankfully another step closer to the end of H'El on Earth.  It is hard for me to read H'El in any sort of unbiased way because, unfortunately, Supergirl is the villain of the story. And ... let me tell you something ... in this issue, she is the villain. She is the hysterical, deluded, angry, ignorant villain.

And if making a long time Supergirl fan dislike this Supergirl character was a goal of Tom DeFalco, Scott Lobdell, and Eddie Berganza, then congratulations are in order. Because after I read this issue, I really really disliked this Kara. And my condolences to Mike Johnson and Michael Green because the powers that be have simply undone everything that those guys were creating over in the main book.

Should Superman fans be happy with H'El? Well, he acts a bit erratic and his plans are often muddled. But at least he is a hero and leading the charge to prevent Earth from being destroyed.

Should Superboy fans be happy with H'El? Hell yeah. He comes off great in this book, realizing what it means to be a hero and working hard to be a hero! In this book, he comes off as selfless and strong. In fact, most of the parts of the book I am going to highlight show just how far Superboy has come on the hero's journey.

In fact, I am not hating on Superboy when I say that I find it amazing that his character, the guy with violent mind programming and a deep-seeded hatred of Superman, is the guy to rise above the fray and be the hero. Meanwhile, Supergirl plays the patsy.

I have always been a fan of RB Silva, especially when he is inked by Rob Lean, and his art is slick here. For some reason it works best in a sci-fi setting and so he shines here.

The book opens with the Justice League organizing their attack against H'El and his star chamber. The draining sun is creating havoc with our weather, resulting in natural disasters. While the rest of the Leaguers go on rescue duties around the world, Superboy, Wonder Woman, and Superman will take the battle to H'El himself.

One thing I like here is that while, once again, Superboy opens the book by saying he is a living weapon, he also calls Kal and Diana living weapons as well. But they are calm, confidant, and clearly in control of their decisions. It is yet another way to show that Kon is starting to think of himself more as a person and less as an automaton. Living weapons can be in charge of their own lives too.

Meanwhile, listen to how starstruck Supergirl sounds when talking to H'El.

Talk about gushing. She takes about his vision ... his tireless dedication. Does anyone outside of the most infatuated, most inane say such things?

Yes, she is still thinking H'El is the good guy. And she is so blinded by love for this guy she met maybe 2 days ago that she can't see straight.

So she is gullible. And she is infatuated. And she falls exceedingly quickly into a superficial kind of love.

How does that make Supergirl a likeable character.

Before the heroes can intercede, H'El teleports in and again lays some serious damage on Superboy. He rips the healing Kryptonian armor off him and throws Superboy aside.

I said it before, there is a little too much venom in H'El surrounding Superboy. I think this is transference of some sort of self-loathing. H'El has to be a clone of some sort.

But it is here that we see the best of Superboy.

Despite being battered, despite his genome being unraveled, despite no real dog in this fight, Superboy decides he isn't ready to thrown in the towel. He is going to pull himself together, maybe literally, and fight on and try to stop H'El and his plans.

When the Hornblower arrives and says that he is calling The Oracle to come to the doomed planet, Superboy even goes one step further, attacking the alien, and saying the world still has hope ... Superman.

So pulls himself together, recognizes Superman as a hero, attacks the Hornblower, and then navigates around the raging atmospheric chaos to get to the Star Chamber.

After all my worries about Superboy, his dark side, his bank-robbing, his hatred of Superman, it turns out he is the brightest star in H'El on Earth.

Now contrast that to Supergirl.


Here is the thing, one of my biggest complaints about this arc is that no one has told Supergirl that H'El is going to implode the solar system. Superboy finally ... finally ...tells her the imminent danger.

So what does Supergirl do with this new information?

She attacks the ailing Superboy when he arrives. She calls him a time bomb, someone willing to kill Krypton again, someone who she can't trust in the way she trusts H'El. She says he is lying. And she is vicious in battering Kon despite the fact that he is obviously dying in front of her.

And let's add more.

Despite Superboy telling her over and over that Earth will die, telling her that she can't be naive and must realize what is happening, Supergirl still doesn't believe him. She doesn't even pause.

And here she basically says she is going to kill him if he doesn't walk away.

Supergirl is too blind and too stupid to recognize the impending cataclysm, pounds on a dying boy, and then plans to kill him.

How am I supposed to like this Supergirl? How am I supposed to feel empathy for her?

I'll say it again, I am a life long Supergirl fan and I don't like the character right now. I haven't felt this way since the issue by Kelly/Garza where we saw her gun down her high school classmates on Krypton.

Supergirl as a stupid killer ... who can honestly think this was the right direction for the character.

Luckily before she can deliver the killing blow, Wonder Woman shows up and the two begin to battle.

So now Supergirl is fighting all of Earth's heroes.

It makes me so sad.

Again, contrast that to Superboy. Despite dying, despite being bloodied and bruised, he wills himself on ... striving to 'make like a hero and save the world'.

Unbelievable.

I have to say this was a tale of two issues. If there has been an upside to H'El on Earth, it has been the character development of Superboy. He has really changed during this short time with Superman. Suddenly he isn't interested in living in the posh apartment and clubbing. There are bigger things in life. He really is becoming the hero.

On the other hand, Supergirl has de-evolved from the smart, sad, over-cautious young woman in her book to this lovestruck idiot who can't see the truth even when it is shoved in her face.

Again, congratulations to Tom DeFalco, Scott Lobdell, and Eddie Berganza. You have made Supergirl pathetic and unlikeable. The writing has been on the wall since the beginning of this arc.

And to Superboy fans, I hope you like the new direction he is taking here.

Overall grade: C+ (B+ for Superboy characterization, D- for Supergirl stuff)

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: Legion Lost #16

'It all ends here!'

The cover says it all as Legion Lost #16 marks the end of this troubled title. And while the issue is certainly filled with insane action, the title ends with something more akin to a whimper than a bang.

This title has never really grabbed me. Even though it had Pete Woods art and starred Wildfire and Dawnstar, two of my favorite Legionnaires, the book seemed to struggle from the beginning. The initial plot of a mutating virus let loose in present time, the Legion trapped in the present, was never one that I thought had legs. We have seen the concept of marooned Legionnaires in the present before - from the 1970s solo Karate Kid title, to the Cosmic Boy mini-series in the 80s, to the Timber Wolf book in the 90s. None of those floored me either. And none seem to address the idea of people from the future dealing with backward world of the past. I can only imagine what I would do in 1013 other than go mad. These Legionnaires seemed to adapt easily, driving cars and using phones without a hitch.

Once the virus plot seemed to fizzle, the book took a left hand turn, morphing into an intrigue book where each Legionnaire was harboring a secret that weighed on their individual souls. It was more interesting than Hypertaxis, giving a new twist to the actual words Legion Lost. But before those could breathe, the book became mired in The Culling, entwined with The Ravagers, and the plug was pulled.

With little time left, would we get a decent ending, an understanding of the secrets, and most importantly, the lost Legion back in the 31st century? This is the New 52 ... what do you think.

You might recall that the plot has some powerful beings called Thraxx and Draggon coming to Earth as the vanguards of some universal threat. The Legion, the Ravagers, Superboy, and even Harvest and his crew try to stop them.

About 3 months ago, I guessed that the SciPo Captain Adym would end up as Harvest. Looks like I was right. It is practically spelled out in some heavy dialogue between the two. Adym goes off into the time bubble to set of a singularity bomb to stop Thraxx and Daggor before their plot even starts.

With Adym's fate set up, Harvest and his cronies leave.

Thankfully, Gates, who had a lapes in conscience last episode, finally realizes he's a Legionnaire. He can't just live out his life in a tropical paradise in the 21st century. He has to head back.

Now I don't know if I quite follow, but when Gates does arrive, he is confronted by another him from the past. You would think the current him would remember this but time travel logic is always iffy.

As if things in this book weren't ridiculous already, Thraxx and Daggor are dispatched by Gates, sent to a black hole. It seemed too easy for a number of reason. But there it is. We have to wrap up this whole thing in 20 pages.

And as for Adym, he has been given a null field device by Harvest, a way to protect him (them?) from the bomb.

Sure enough, Adym detonates the bomb within the Daggor/Thraxx force field as they are being whisked into space. I guess that Adym is some mishmash of all three of those beings. I guess we'll see before the issue is over.

Oh wait ...

Nope. We don't get the payoff here. Just like that, after several issues brawling, adym, Thraxx and Daggor are simply gone. And with no real closure about anything. Who were they the vanguard for? What happened to Adym? Where will these guys show up again to wrap up these stories.

On top of that, in their last issue, a lot of time is spent on other characters. First Harvest. Then Adym. And now Superboy.

I wonder how Superboy fans feel about this. He spent 2 issues yelling 'Kill. Maim. Destroy.' Then he has this moment where he realizes that he isn't free of Harvest's control.

So will we see that again. I don't think Harvest is done. He probably is going to torment the Titans and/or the Ravagers. So will this power over Kon be revisited? I suppose, in theory, he is as much a Superboy villain as he is for those teams. But we have seen the post-H'El Superboy book is a new start in a new city. Maybe all the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. business is behind us.

Still, this is a Legion book, and this team's last issue. I would rather have seen some time spent on Tyroc, Yera, and Tellus than these guest-starring characters.

Now there is a lot not to like here. But as a Wildfire/Dawnstar fan at least I got this moment in the issue.

In an effort to delay the Legion from following them, Harvest's crew tosses the team Wildfire's original red suit (he had been in The Culling white for a while). And with that, Wildfire is back.

And, maybe ... just maybe, Dawnstar finally realizes the depth of her feeling for Drake after 'losing' him for a couple of minutes.

Still, just a great splash for me.

And ... that's all she wrote.

The Thraxx/Daggor threat gone and with Harvest escaping, the group strikes a pose and yells 'Long Live the Legion'.

Except ... they all pretty much still have to deal with the fallout of their secrets. We never even learned Tellus' secret. And I was really really hoping the book would end with these characters back in the future, joining the main Legion book. Instead, the book ends on this note.

I don't know. I can't say I thought this was a good book. There were some decent moments scattered here and there. Pete Woods gave us great art. But this title seemed doomed from the beginning. And now it is gone. And these characters are stuck in a sort of limbo. Will they be absorbed by the Ravagers? Yeesh. Or will they simply be here in the present but never seen. Or will there be some Brainiac 5 miracle in the main book?

At least I have Dawnstar hugging Wildfire.

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+