#captaincomet

Review: Action Comics #1088

Writer: Mark Waid Art: Skylar Patridge Colors: Ivan Plascencia Letters: Steve Wands Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd     Summary Clarks attends his first day at Smallville High School and Superboy appears in Smallville for the first time.  They couldn't be related, could they? Positives Well, it's hard to know where to begin, but I'll give it a shot.  It's pretty simple really; Mark Waid focuses Action Comics #1088 on CHARACTER and CHARACTER drives the story.  So well in fact, that he's able to win over this old Superboy reader who will have a few things to say below in "negatives" section.  This is the secret to reinventing the wheel.  It's never necessary to reinvent the wheel, but when you do it has to come through the character and still embody the core of the character.  Waid does this wonderfully in this issue.

Waid maintains Ma and Pa Kent's role in Clark's life and introduces Pete Ross and Lana Lang into this version of Clark's boyhood very well.  With Lana, this contemporary interpretation is able to bring out more in Clark's awareness of Lana's burgeoning womanhood.  Lana's not a little girl and it's incredibly fun to see Clark's reaction.  I wonder how strong Clark's Super-hormones are? Positives Cont'd Waid balances Action Comics #1088 with a classic disaster that requires Superboy to save his high school, and there's also a great use of the classic "Superboy" logo.  As Clark explores his powers, Waid never lets the reader forget what it's like for Clark.  From not quite having fully developed powers to the issues of navigation for long distance flying, Waid makes it interesting and makes it make sense.  It's just some small details, but they are small details that MATTER and really bring the moments to life for the reader.  These moments connect the extraordinary with the ordinary

Skylar Patridge turns in a really nice job on the art and storytelling.  Patridge evokes all the motions from excitement to anger that again connect the extraordinary with the ordinary.  How can the average person relate to Superboy?  Like this...with this recognizable emotion! At the end of the issue Waid throws the reader a surprise and a reveal for readers who will recognize Clark's teacher by his last name- Blake.  I don't think I'm going out on a limb, but I feel pretty certain that this teacher who has figured out that Clark is Superboy after his first appearance in Smallville is none other than Adam Blake- Captain Comet, an infrequently used space hero who first appeared in the 1950's.  Maybe this will bring about a collection in the DC Finest line of his earliest adventures!

Negatives As I pointed out last issue, for a longtime reader, it's difficult to see Ma and Pa so young...and attractive?  Instead of finding Clark when they were an older couple, it appears that Jonathan and Martha found him when they were in ... high school?!?!?!?!  I mean they are YOUNG.  It's a different visual vocabulary for Ma and Pa and it's startling.  A large part of me would like to see more of the classic visual representation incorporated into the stories, but I completely understand WHY; it's a new interpretation of classic elements.

Verdict Action Comics #1088 isn't just a great comic, it's FUN.  I mean REALLY FUN.  It's also entertaining and a perfect form of escapist entertainment.  Despite a few details that wrankle this old reader, this issue by Waid and Patridge is top notch!  Grinning ear to ear and gasping with fun and excitement, everything is done right for what it is and it also transcends the differences as it is a shining example of how to update without losing what's important. Let's hope this runs for a longtime in either Action Comics or maybe that relaunch of Adventure Comics with issue #530?  Wish I had an extra 1/4 icon to make this 9.5/10!

Review: Action Comics #1089

Writer: Mark Waid Art: Skylar Patridge  Colors: Ivan Plascencia Letters: Steve Wands Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd     Summary Mr. Blake's identity is revealed as himself proves he knows that Clark is Superboy.  Blake explains his concerns about Clark's powers, and gives him a challenge.... Positives With this run on Action Comics Mark Waid is retelling and updating Clark's exploration of his powers and how he develops into a young hero.  Back in the Silver and Bronze Ages, Clark was close to fully formed...just a younger version.  That's not to say he didn't have some setbacks and perhaps mistakes, but for the most part, Clark didn't run into a lot of trouble being Superboy.  Post-Crisis, this self discovery was with a Clark who didn't have a costumed identity.  Waid takes us back to a DC Universe in which Clark is Superboy, but also adds a new wrinkle (besides the more modern setting), an older hero who has come to check on Clark.

I correctly identified Mr. Blake's identity in the review of last issue as he's revealed as Captain Comet in Action Comics #1089.  With Waid's New History of the DC Universe currently being published, it makes sense that he's utilizing these Superboy stories to flesh out some of the moments from that new history.  Captain Comet gets a mention in that series, but here he tells Clark and Ma and Pa Kent a bit of his past adventures.  It's nice how Ma and Pa are familiar with him but Clark has never heard of him.  It gives a sense of the generational quality of the DC Universe and gives a sense of how much time has passed and that Captain Comet is not really known to people Clark's age.

Positives Cont'd Captain Comet gets a nuanced treatment.  We know he's a hero, a good guy, but his presentation here demonstrates a wariness of Clark's powers and indeed the idea of super-powers in general.  I don't think Waid will turn Captain Comet full villain, but he's also not here to simply be a gosh-gee-whiz-let-me-help-you mentor either.  One of the really clever aspects of Waid's story is how Captain Comet "helps" him in this issue.  He sets him up with a challenge that Clark has to work out for himself.  In that respect, Clark is figuring it out on his own, but Waid is still able to use Captain Comet as a hero from an older generation, providing Clark guidance while not giving Clark one-on-one instruction.  Giving Clark a teacher would not feel right, Clark needs to come into himself mostly on his own.

Skylar Patridge continues to excel at communicating emotions both large and small.  Even Captain Comet's concern and emotional distance comes through clearly in her visual.  Even the non-powered moments are laid out well and keep things interesting. Negatives General Sam Lane's appearance and apparent alliance with Captain Comet at the end of Action Comics #1089 presents a cause for some concern, but I have faith that Waid will keep it from becoming a Hulk-vs. Thunderbolt Ross situation.  Similarly, Clark's run in with Kenny Braverman at school in this issue comes across very much like a Peter Parker/ Flash Thompson analog.  This issue seems to give a sense that Waid won't make it that, but it certainly makes sense to have at least a few moments like it as Clark learns the importance of staying under the radar.

Verdict Action Comics #1089 is another great installment in this updating of the Adventures of Superman When He Was a Boy by Mark Waid and Skylar Patridge.  There's a great focus on character and use of DC Comics history to bring thing together as he effectively updates and brings modern storytelling sensibilities while also incorporating longtime DC history.