Superboy (vol.3) #1 (January, 2011)
"Smallville Attacks! Part One"
Writer - Jeff Lemire
Art - Pier Gallo
Colors - James Grant
Letters - John J. Hill
Assistant Editor - Wil Moss
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $2.99
Ya know what's annoying... how if I mention say, Walmart or Target while in the presence of my phone, my social media will suddenly be bombarded with ads for those places... but, my spellchecker/auto-correct, with as much as I've written about comic books over the past three years, still puts the squiggly-red line under the word "Superboy". Ya kiddin' me with this?
Worth noting, Superboy often auto-corrects to "superbly"... could that be an indication of what we're in for with this very issue?!
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We open with Conner Kent, back from the dead and now living in Smallville. As he sits atop a grain silo he thinks to himself what his life might've been like if he'd had a normal childhood... or, ya know, any childhood at all! While he's thinking about this, we see a little boy dressed like a superhero frolicking in the fields. As Kon rubs a grain between his fingers, Krypto barks, informing him that they're not alone. Superboy finds himself joined by... oh, c'mon, the Phantom Stranger.
The Stranger comes with bad tidings, as he normally does. He tells Superboy that the fate of someone close to him is hanging in the balance... and that he should return home post-haste. Just so happens, at that very moment, Ma Kent is stood atop a chair watering some plants on the porch... she slips, but thanks to the warning, Kon is able to swoop in just in the nick of time.
He tells Ma about his recent visit with the Stranger... and wonders if his staying in Smallville might actually do more harm than good. Ma assures him that there's nothing to worry about... and Ma's got a way of being pretty convincing. Worth noting, if you're reading the panels, read these backwards... the page has this clockwise-circular gimmick going on.
We rejoin that tot dressed like a superhero as he happens across a critter that looks to have been sucked dry. Could the Phantom Stranger have been there to warn of a Chupacabra outbreak?! Well, no... instead, a giant purple mass of a man bursts onto the scene and chases the boy away!
We shift scenes to Smallville High School, where Conner Kent is grabbing some books from his locker. He is approached by Lori Luthor (Lex's niece, natch... which also makes her Conner's sorta-kinda "cousin"). She asks why he's been avoiding her... and he coyly tells her he hasn't been. He's just been busy with "other stuff".
Back in the fields, that Purple Beast is trudging his way toward town... leaving a whole lotta dehydrated flora and fauna in his wake. Is it okay to reveal that this is Parasite yet?
After school, Conner heads to a diner... where he meets an old man. The fella informs him that today is the 154th anniversary of Smallville's founding. He hands over a little blobby figurine he'd whittled and wishes Conner a "Happy Birthday". Conner returns the favor... well, more like he returns the sentiment, it's not like he hands over a whittled figurine himself.
On his way out, Conner runs into Simon Valentine... his best pal in Smallville, who naturally has red hair. That's kinduva "thing" with Super-Pals. Simon pulls him aside because he's got biiiiig news. Conner is certain it has something to do with his army of trained frogs, but nope... it's even bigger than that. Ya see, Simon has figured out that Conner Kent... is Superboy!
Before the Boy of Steel can even begin to digest this revelation, he is attacked by that purple beast Parasite!
Parasite is there... to kill Superman. Kon tears off his shirt, and lets the baddie know he's got the wrong dude... but if he wants to get to the "main event", Parasite's going to have to go through him. As luck would have it, that's exactly what Parasite wanted to do! Ya see, he's going to drain Superboy of his power... and use it against the Real Steel Deal!
After getting punched through a Barber Shop window, Simon shouts that Superboy should take the fight off the street... because, ya know, they're tearing the place up. Superboy tackles Parasite and rams him right back into the wheat fields so they might continue. Unfortunately, upon landing... Superboy ain't good for much!
He realizes he's going to have to count on his tactile telekinesis... and attempts to use it to lift up and hurl a tractor. Only, he's not strong enough at the moment!
As Parasite stomps ever closer, Superboy realizes that it might not take the biggest thing around to put the baddie down.
He focuses his attention on the tens-of-thousands of wheat grains in the area... and absolutely bombards Parasite with 'em! It's actually pretty gross if you think about it... which is why we probably shouldn't!
Simon rushes on the scene to see if "Conner" is alright. Superboy informs him that it's, ya know, not cool to call him by his civilian name when he's in his work clothes. I mean, c'mon, that's Super-Pal 101 stuff there.
Suddenly the flora around them starts going nuts... and we wrap up with the arrival of Poison Ivy, who is fearful she's too late to save Smallville!
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Ya know, it says a lot about a book when it can open with the friggin' Phantom Stranger, and close with Poison friggin' Ivy... and I can still give it the ol' "two thumbs up"! This was a wonderfully enjoyable issue, and a fine start to this new volume of Superboy.
Now, if you're a regular reader/listener, my feelings on the Phantom Stranger ain't a big secret. I find him, like many of DC's mysterious/undead/ethereal characters... to be rather a bore. They seem to pop in and either spout some cryptic nonsense, or just serve as a hand-wavin' deus ex machina. Luckily, he only occupies a couple of pages here... and he facilitates a nice discussion between Conner and Ma.
As for Poison Ivy. She's kinda up there with Ra's Al Ghul in the pantheon of "Bat villains I never need to see again". Especially if we were to jump back to the Winter of 2010/2011. Talk about having a lotta Bat-Books today, back pre-Flashpoint, half the line was like Bat-Books on steroids. I mean, the Avengers would raise an eyebrow and say "Innat a bit much?" So, yeah... seeing a (traditionally) Bat-Family character here didn't exactly rock my socks... but, it also didn't make me not want to pick up the next issue, which is the most important thing.
I thought having Conner move to Smallville and live with (the relatively-recently-widowed) Ma Kent was a great idea! Thought this was a great way to make Smallville relevant, and tell stories that didn't necessarily have to take place in the big city. Also looks like Lemire was pulling together a great little supporting cast for the kid!
The fight with Parasite was pretty great... and concluded with a wonderfully clever use of Conner's much-lauded (by him) tactile telekinesis! This one act of understanding the potential value in "little things" showed a (much welcome) leap in maturation for the Boy of Steel.
So, yeah... I loved this issue. With that said... Why am I so annoyed, then?
Well... this book is yet another example of some of the great things DC had going on before flushing 'em down the toilet less than a year later. Actually, if we're to go by The "official" Chris is on Infinite Earths "hot-take"... this issue had the same cover-date as Flash (vol.3) #6... which is where I personally feel like the "other shoe dropped". That was the issue/month (to my mind) where DC decided that Flashpoint was going to be something more than just the next big Flash event.
So... was this book always doomed to a short life? Did DC launch this knowing it wouldn't survive the year... or, was it already in the works before the seminal beats of The New-52! were in the ether? Whatever the case, this series is a shining example of the good-to-great books DC was putting out before the plug was pulled.
Speaking of "great"... how 'bout this art? Where'd this Pier Gallo come from... and why haven't we seen so more from him?! I mean, holy smokes, this was some wonderful work! Gotta say, this is a top-flight book... and it's a shame it had to be sacrificed for whateverthehell The New-52! Superboy was all about.
Overall... yeah, check this one out! I know Kon-El is about to make his return in the pages of Young Justice (vol.3), but I'm not sure he's going to be the same fella as the one we read here. He's still in his 90's togs... which might just be a "funny, ha-ha"... or might be an indication of where he was "nyoinked" from. Whatever the case, this series is worth your time. This issue has been collected as part of Superboy, Volume 1: Smallville Attacks... and it's also available digitally.
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(Not the) Letters Page:
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Terrifics #1 (April, 2018)
"Meet the Terrifics, Part 1 of 3"
Storytellers - Ivan Reis & Jeff Lemire
Inker - Jo Prado
Colorists - Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer - Tom Napolitano
Associate Editor - Jessica Chen
Editor - Paul Kaminski
Group Editor - Marie Javins
Cover Price: $2.99
Today we're going to discuss one of the very few "current year" books that I'm actually jazzed about. It takes a pretty special "new" book to be lifted toward the top of my never-ending backlog... and we're about to find out if Terrifics lived up to the hype that I imposed on it!
S'funny... any time I check out a new/newish book, a few things jump out at me. First... what's with all the editors? Do we really need three? Second, no more cover dates! I'd ask "What's up wit' dat?", before realizing with how many books are being delayed... I guess they're going the turn-of-the-century Marvel route of "nothing to see here, folks" and hiding them in the indicia. What a pain.
Anyhoo... let's get down to some Terrificking (that could have been one heckuva typo)!
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We open with Mr. Terrific paying a visit to the Staggs! Ya know, those folks who from Metamorpho's stories. Even Java makes an appearance! Anyhoo, he's advised that the Man of the House... er, lab is very busy, and Holt's only got a few minutes with him. Inside, he finds that Simon Stagg (flanked by his daughter and Rex Mason-squeeze Sapphire) is fiddling with the newly discovered Dark Multiverse... even sending in a metally Metamorpho!
Holt summons the Plastic Man egg as back-up and they head on in to retrieve their fellow hero. Plas transforms into a giant head, and gulps both Terrific and Metamorpho up for safe-keeping... and so they might chat. We get a quick and dirty sorta update on Dark Knights: Metal before setting down on a small planet to answer a distress signal.
Well, maybe not a "planet" exactly.
The Terrific Trio are then attacked by creepy spider-beast things before being introduced to their fourth member, Phantom Girl! I know very little about this young lady other than that she comes from the Legion.
Michael tells her that they were answering her call, and she's all "nope, not me."... so they search the giant cadaver for any signs of a signal. When they find it... we learn just who was asking for help... Tom freaking Strong!
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What a fun little book.
When I read books like this, I get the distinct impression that I've been reviewing comics for too long... and have trouble allowing myself to have, ya know, fun actually reading them.
This was light, funny and just a pleasure to read. The art is phenomenal, the characterization is breezy, we've got high adventure... and the potential for this to be one helluva run.
I have a feeling that no matter how much I might've dug it... the rest of the internet might have dug it a little bit more. I'm getting those "current Mister Miracle" vibes from it. I haven't scoured the web for the "outta 10" scores, because frankly... to do so, would cause me great distress. Then again, I'm not sure how active Lemire and Reis are on Twitter... and that usually plays a sizable role in how close to a "10/10" score a book gets. Integrity, what's that? Gimme retweets, dammit!
Anyhoo... a great little issue, and I suppose I ought to say "something, something, Fantastic Four, something, something". I have high hopes for this book... and as mentioned, I see great potential... seems there might be no limits to this one. I mean, we're twenty-pages in, and we get a Tom Strong appearance! Not what I expected... well, if I didn't "fold out" the cover, I suppose I wouldn't have expected it.
I'm hopeful that this book will allow DC to sweep out some of their lesser used corners... maybe breathe new life into some lapsed or stagnant properties. Maybe even check in with some of our forgotten friends from 1st Issue Special or something. Hell, have the Dark Multiverse drop 'em in 1986 Manhattan so they can meet Angel Love. The possibilities are endless... and really, that's the true strength of a book like this. So here's hoping for a long and healthy run! Hopefully they won't announce a Metamorpho feature film in the next couple of months... or else, this is doomed.
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Sweet Tooth #1 (November, 2009)
"Out of the Deep Woods, Part One"
Story, Art, & Creator - Jeff Lemire
Colors - Jose Villarrubia
Letters - Pat Brosseau
Editors - Brandon Montclare & Bob Schreck
Cover Price: $1.00
I remember kinda giving up on Vertigo in the mid-late 2000's. Right around the time that Y: The Last Man wrapped up I figured I'd be done with imprint. I'd foolishly passed up on Fables a few years earlier, and the next book I tried was unwritten, which really wasn't for me. It wasn't until I came across a nice set (the first half) of Sweet Tooth in a discount bin that I decided to give it another go.
Was it a good idea? Well, I already know that answer, but we'll save it for below the usual spoilery synopsis...
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We open during a dream sequence. A young boy frantically runs through the woods, being chased by someone. He is awakened by his father, who is talking to God. The pair share a set of bunk beds, with the young boy on top. The next morning, the boy heads outside to chop wood. It's here that we learn that his mother had passed away, and that he'd never seen her. As a matter of fact, the only other person he's ever seen... is his father.
The "camera" pulls back, revealing a set of antlers atop the boy's head. Not much of a shock, considering the cover... but fair enough. He mentions that there was an "accident" some time back, and ever since, very few children were born. Those who were born, were "made special by God", in other words... they were humanoid hybrids.
The "camera" moves behind the boy's back, and we see that he is standing before what used to be the Nebraska State Wilderness Sanctuary. On the ground outside the gate, he sees a wrapped Crunchy candy bar. Curious, he reaches for it. A loud cracking sound in the distance grabs his attention, and he heads to the safety of his home.
Back home, he shares a meal with his father... during which, his dad begins coughing up blood. He insists that he's okay. Later the boy practices using his slingshot against a "sinner", in the form of a sorry looking scarecrow. His shooting is interrupted by another loud crack. Between the trees, he spies another Crunchy candy bar. This one, however, he's able to get... and better yet, taste!
Back home, his father is very troubled by the sight of his son eating a candy bar. It means that there are very likely other people around... and with people comes danger. He makes his son, who we now know as Gus, promise to be more careful... especially as he knows his own days are numbered. He has the same sickness Gus' mother died of, and it's not entirely clear what that sickness is... likely cancer, or a cancer analogue. It isn't long before Gus' father succumbs.
Gus waits until Spring so the snow can melt before giving his father a proper burial, right alongside his mother. He hears another loud crack, and finds himself confronted by a large stag... with similar headgear to his own.
Their eyes meet... and a second later, the stag is shot in the head! Gus runs off to hide as two hunters creep up on their kill. They're both disappointed... figuring that they'd just bagged the hybrid child with the antlers, rather than an actual antlered animal. The fellas argue a bit, until they are interrupted by Gus' sad little slingshot.
The hunters spy the odd boy, and immediately give chase. A teary-eyed Gus is making a pretty good getaway, until he trips over a fallen branch. With the boy cornered, the hunters evaluate their prize. The bald hunter appears to be real keen on using his rifle, while the other appears to be having second thoughts. He sees that poor Gus is just a terrified kid, and suggests they simply leave him be. The baldy ain't digging that thought, however, before he can pull his trigger... his head gets blown to bits!
The chapter concludes with the arrival of Gus' savior... who assures us, he is not God.
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Sweet Tooth pretty much restored my faith in the Vertigo line. After reading this, I started dipping my toe back into the line... "discovered" things like Fables, and iZombie which I quite enjoyed as well. I was happy to see that this imprint was still capable of delivering top quality, creative, and wonderfully weird content.
What we get in this opening chapter is, well... a lot of questions. Questions that, based on the strength of the narrative, I am captivated enough to want to learn the answers to. The character of Gus is presented in such a way that we want to learn more about him. What was up with his father? What happened to his mother? Did they succumb to cancer, or something more story-centric? There's just so much tragedy surrounding this scared boy... despite his odd (and perhaps off-putting) appearance, you almost can't help but to feel something for him.
The world of Sweet Tooth also gives us a lot to wonder about. Just what happened? There is talk of an "accident", however, that's all we get for now. We meet hunters, looking for hybrids... what caused there to be hybrids? So many questions... and I remember wanting to know the answers to all of them. That's pretty much all I need in order to say that this was a great first issue. Doesn't hurt that Jeff Lemire provides some great, atmospheric, and appropriate-feeling art as well.
Overall... I'd say Sweet Tooth as a whole comes highly recommended, which is also to say, that Sweet Tooth #1 is most definitely worth snagging. The entire run is available digitally, and has been collected in trade.
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The New 52: Futures End #0 FCBD Special Edition (June, 2014)
Writers - Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire, Dan Jurgens & Keith Giffen
Pencillers - Ethan Van Sciver, Patrick Zircher, Aaron Lopresti, Jurgens & Jesus Merino
Inkers - Art Thibert, Mark Irwin & Dan Green
Art Consultant - Keith Giffen
Colors - Hi-Fi
Letters - Carlos Mangual
Assistant Editor - Kyle Andrukiewicz
Editor - Joey Cavalieri
Group Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: FREE
As I rapidly approach one solid year of daily blogging, I figured I may as well discuss one of the books that brought me back into the "Greater DC Universe" fold. When this book was announced, it was rumored that it would ultimately lead to a return to the old (er, real) DCU. I was down to my last few titles and was planning on dropping DC altogether, but I'll go into further depth after the usual spoilery synopsis.
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We open in Central City, 35 years from whenever you read this. An aged Flash is working alongside some of his Rogues... and he enters their compound with his quickness. It is revealed that he is running from... Wonder Woman... at least it's something that resembles Wonder Woman. It is made (relatively) clear that she has been assimilated by Brother Eye... and is looking to "spread the love". She chops off Captain Cold's hands, and the Flash proceeds to pound her into the ground.
After regaining his bearings, the Flash finds himself stood before... Frankenstein. He gives Flash the choice of joining Brother Eye, or... ya know, dying. Flash tells Frank to eff-off, which leads to the big guy opening his vest... revealing Black Canary's head grafted to his chest. Her sonic scream turns Barry (I think it's Barry) to dust.
We next get a look at many DC Universe locales in this sorta-kinda far-flung future... Brother-Eyed folks have, for most intents and purposes, taken over the Earth. In Metropolis, we join Green Lantern John Stewart and Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes running through the sewers. Outside we see several assimilated heroes, including Booster Gold. Jaime is the first to fall.
John looks like he might be able to hold his own... but then, Superman shows up. It's pretty much academic from there.
Next up, we join the oddball team of Grifter and Amethyst. They have been tasked by Bruce Wayne to infiltrate the Brother Eye... Compound (?) and disconnect Firestorm, which would sever its link to the assimilated heroes via satellite uplink... or something. They run afoul of Superman and the newly cybery-John Stewart... and get atomized pretty quick.
We shift to the man who gave them the task... Bruce Wayne, at Wayne Manor. He is alongside Terry McGinnis, ya know... that other Batman... from the cartoon. Anyhoo, Bruce is planning on going back in time to stop this dark future from happening.
Before he can, however, the Assimilated Batmen of All Nations infiltrate the Manor... and before we know it, it's a pretty bad time. The Knight slices off Bruce's right arm before he can hop into the time-travel portal device.
Terry is able to better the Batmechs, and heads over to tend to Bruce. He is given the time-travel watch thingie, and instructed to stop this Brother Eye present, by heading to the past... and so he does. Next thing we know, Batman Beyond is standing in Times Square, five years from now!
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Well... this was, interesting... right? I remember really not knowing what to make of it... but felt as though it wasn't so ingrained in "New 52ness" that I could still get something out of it. Like I mentioned in the preamble, in early 2014 I was down to about 4-5 DC books a month... and I was only really enjoying Justice League. Batman was kind of hit or miss for me... though, definitely more hit than miss... but I still could've dropped it without losing much sleep over it.
With Futures End, there was that rumor... as slight as it might've been, that the weekly series was going to end with either the return of the Multiverse... or simply a return to the pre-Flashpoint DCU. Well, that was enough for me. Suddenly I was sorta-kinda back with DC... even picking up other titles I didn't normally read if I felt there was the slightest possibility that there'd be some "old" DC hinted at... which kinda paid off during that Superman: Doomed storyline...
Overall, this issue wasn't half bad. Like I said... there wasn't that "New 52" feeling to it, title notwithstanding... it could have easily taken place in ANY DC Universe... hell, the "Brother-Eyed" Superman is cut off at the waist... for all I know, he could've been wearing the red trunks before he got assimilated... right? I guess he's still got that horrendous collar though... ehh...
The art here is almost scarily consistent... I actually had to take a second look at the list of creators at the end... I thought there might have been two pencillers... but didn't expect for this to have been a jam-issue at all.
We get ourselves a great opening mystery... in both the sorta-far flung and the near futures... with ramifications promising to change the outcome of one to affect the other... all told, not too shabby. Perhaps a bit too dismembery for my tastes... but, whattayagonna do. For a Free Comic Book Day issue, this was a great one. Sure beats the hell out of the outdated reprints we're accustomed to from DC...
Of course, hindsight... that horrible thing... tells us how all of this works out... but, let's not worry about that for now. I was hoping to be able to direct folks to grab the digital version of this issue... and I was sure DC would have it available seeing as though it was a FCBD book... but, damned if I can find it on readdcentertainment.com! Not sure I can recommend actually paying for this issue... though the Futures End series, ending and (lack of?) fallout notwithstanding is some pretty decent comics.
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