Superboy #1
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Pier Gallo
Colored by Jamie Grant
Lettered by John J. Hill
Cover art by Rafael Albuquerque or John Cassaday & Andre Szymanowicz
Published by DC Comics
The Karl Kesel/Tom Grummett Superboy series debuted about a year after I’d started reading comics, and it was the first DC series that I followed regularly. As such, I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for The Kid (the Kesel/Grummett runs are, along with JLI, one of the two superhero series I most often reread), yet the character was eventually steered away from the characteristics that drew me to his adventures over the years. The cloned-from-Lex-Luthor reveal did no favors, as far as I’m concerned, as the revelation turned the character into a dour, sulky mess far from the high-adventure, good-times hero I’d once enjoyed reading. (Besides which, I’m not in favor of anything that narrows the mythology with an ever-tighter circle of incestuous relationships – nobody wants Metamorpho to date Lex’s daughter because Simon Stagg’s too low-profile, so I’m not sure I buy the explanation that Superboy’s previous evil-clone-stock wasn’t sufficiently known. But I digress…)
Anyway, Superboy died during Infinite Crisis and I was happy – better than the alternative, I figured. Of course, he came back, but we were moving in different circles and I was fairly content to leave it that way. However, DC announced that Jeff Lemire, auteur of the highly recommended Essex County books would be writing a new Superboy series – and a glimmer of curiosity cut through me. Despite a character I like mixed with a writer whose work I enjoy, I wasn’t sure I’d check the series out (sometimes, you just can’t go back), but then the dilemma was taken out of my hands when a review copy of Superboy #1 showed up in my mailbox.
And I liked it. Oh, yeah, I have a few reservations, but I definitely liked it. Lemire’s writing a series that matches, in some surprising ways, the old Kesel series. He’s not out to reinvent the wheel – rather, it’s a superhero comic built on anything-goes plots and solid character work. Lemire opts for one of DC’s oldest tricks for creating mystery – the Phantom Stranger shows up and says something ominous. Nothing special there, and the Parasite’s appearance seems slightly arbitrary at the moment. So the plot isn’t going to wow anybody. Not yet, anyway.
But the banter between Superboy and his supporting cast, Ma Kent, Lex’s niece Lori and boy-inventor Simon Valentine (I’m not sure if the latter two are original to this series or not), is engaging and shows room for plenty of oddness, with each character exhibiting a clear personality in only a few lines each. The plot’s pacing is insistent without being rushed. Lemire’s previously shown penchant for capturing small town familiarity and weirdness is, if not on full display, sidetracked as it is by the superhero plot, establishing roots that look like they’ll, hopefully, play out in future installments. Fast-moving plots, upbeat banter, creative use of superpowers, and a sense of fun – the script has pretty much everything I want in a superhero comic, despite a few rough edges.
Pier Gallo handles the artwork ably. Although the perspectives are sometimes somewhat uneven, but Gallo does a good job moving the camera around to keep the layouts engaging. His figures could use a little polishing, but they also have an animated, exaggerated quality that suits an anything-goes, high-adventure serial. The artwork isn’t a knockout, but it’s functional and shows potential for improvement.
While it doesn’t possess the most imaginative plot ever (Parasite shows up, as far as we’ve seen to this point, only to generate some fisticuffs), Superboy #1 does offer some promise in its small touches. Lemire’s quirky supporting cast fits the youthful, upbeat adventures of Superboy. The dialogue works, the art is coherent, and the possibility for the series to develop into a winner is evident. We’ll just have to wait and see how much of that potential is unearthed.
November 10th, 2010 at 8:35 am
I loved the first two years or so of the first Kesel run and the first year of the second. That version of Kon-El was always fun, but sooner or later, Karl ran out of things to do with him. But that character carried over into some great things in Young Justice and when Joe Kelly was writing the series.
Then came the Titans years, and while the hero was often interesting, he wasn’t the same, and I agree that making him half-clone of Luthor didn’t add much but angst. However, Geoff Johns’ far-too-short run on Adventure last year went a long way to melding the best of the old and current takes on Kon, and that is what I am measuring this series against.
So far, so good, but not as good as what Geoff did with ease. Lemire will have to work hard to convince me long-term.
November 10th, 2010 at 10:16 am
Lori Luthor and Simon Valentine were both introduced in Geoff John and Francis Manapul’s Adventure Comics run.
November 10th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
First single issue I’ve purchased in nearly 6 months and I’m glad I chose not to wait on the trade for this one.
I grew up with Kon’s book and have nearly every issue of his old series. His change in personality during John’s Titans was weird at first but it had good story beats. For me that period firmly established his friendship with Tim Drake/Robin (always thought Young Justice was too comedic, though also a great series).
The revelation that Lex was his donor was definately new, but something he needed. He had gotten stale in his old series and fallen into near obscurity in his support role in the Superman books. The shot in the arm Geoff Johns gave him with the Lex reveal not only made him a discussion point again, it also made his origin a simple conversation piece, something mainstreamers could easily latch onto.
Glad to see Kon back in his own series, glad his death was temporary and glad the series has been getting positive reviews. It is currenly the only book I purchase.
November 10th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
I loved the Superboy series. Kesel’s fun story of Superboy-as-Kamandi when he returned after the Ron Marz run was a highlight for me. It was a fun fit for the character with a distinctively “less 90s, more Kirby” feel than Karl’s previous run. The Cadmus stories that followed were also just the right amount of zany. (scarred model possessed by Jonah Jex riding a loving gargoyle – right on!)
Question: any idea if McKone’s redesign of black shirt and jeans was inspired by the short Kesel/Grummett arc when Superboy was depowered? Or just coincidence?