SUPERBOY #5
What did the
iFanboy
community think?
Pulls
Art by PIER GALLO
Cover by EDDY BARROWS & J.P. MAYER
Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
Size: 32 pages
Price: 2.99
This is the little title that could for DC right now. Jeff Lemire’s Superboy, quite frankly, should not work. His take on superheroes, and anything related to Superman, is a complete one-eighty on how everyone else writes them. Yes, there is action in these books, but that’s not the point of this series. Jeff Lemire is telling a story involving great characterization and putting the action in the background. So to my surprise I didn’t believe Lemire would dedicate an entire issue to a race between Connor and Kid Flash. Luckily, my thoughts were correct but it didn’t bother me a bit.
Don’t get me wrong, there is a race in this issue. Jeff Lemire handles it perfectly by giving us a believable race but not bog it down from other depictions of the epic Superman/Flash race from ye olden days. The race itself is very fun to look at and it has a very cute ending that I won’t spoil. But the real draw for the issue, for me anyways, was the whole angle with Connor fighting his love life with Wonder Girl and Lori Luthor. Lemire is just the master at this type of down to earth storytelling and I was genuinely intrigued on this situation for Connor. I mean we have a couple of pages where Connor and Bart stop on the Great Pyramid of Giza just to talk about love. Where else are you going to get that in a DC comic?
Pier Gallo’s art definitely improved from last issue. There are a lot of great page layouts from this with the two highlights being: The two pages involving puzzle pieces, and the two page splash of path for the race. Pages like that really impress me on Gallo’s ability to make the reading unique and not just the typical affiar. I even noticed a particular technique with the panel layouts where, every time the race continued the panels would be slanted to indicate speed. There are still some iffy problems with the faces in this but they can be largely forgiven for the unique takes Gallo does with the art.
Jeff Lemire can really just chuck out the ongoing mystery with the threat for all I care in this book. The relationships between all the characters are the real highlights of this series. This issue is no different giving us a great conflict between Connor and the two loves of his life. But the action we do get in here with the race with Kid Flash was pretty fun to read too. So we know Lemire can do fun, comic moments when he wants too. Pier Gallo’s art is also a highlight for me because he takes risks with the layouts and, for the most part, it’s pretty to look at. It’s such a shame this book is going to get bogged down with the Doomsday crossover soon; it’s really going to hurt the natural flow of the book.
Art: 5 - Excellent
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I have to disagree with you on your opinion of the art. The line work is average at best. It is sloppy and loose in a lot of places. And, the coloring… man, the coloring is just awful. Everyone has an orange or peach hue to them. It actually makes me a little queezy to even look at this book. And, it’s a shame too because I think I would otherwise like this book. As it is, I cannot support it.
@ctrosejr: The coloring can be a bit too orange for my liking. But for the most part I like it, I can’t really explain why….I just do. (sorry for no explanation there)
You’re telling me you weren’t impressed by the puzzle peices page and the two page splash of the race?
I agree with you that the art in general is getting better. That two-page splash of the race was pretty to look at, but confusing to read. The diagonal sequence of panels of Kid Flash and Superboy is such a strong throughline that I assume the text follows it, but you actually read the captions left to right across the page — and the placement of those bubble-shaped panels left me perplexed about which caption went with which image.
@kingdomofevan: Really? I didn’t think it was that confusing to read if I’m honest.
@TheNextChampion I think it was the circular panels on the first page that threw me off. The caption that says “when I see a window washer falling in Toronto” is on top of the tail leading to the circle panel showing the Royal Flush Gang in France, not the one showing Toronto. That tail is also leading straight down from the first caption. This, plus the diagonal string of rectangle panels, drives the eye straight from the top left to the bottom left and makes you think for a second that the captions read in that order, even though they don’t. I figured it out, but it took me a few seconds more than it usually does for a spread this complex. I’m not saying it’s a bad spread, it’s just a bit challenging. If they had just moved the Toronto caption a half-inch to the left it might have made more sense. (Incidentally, you know you’re reading a Jeff Lemire book when there’s a Toronto reference thrown in. I liked that.)
I really like the story so far. the art *might* be getting better but its not enough to make a real difference. its still awkward and kinda ugly for me. I’m not seeing anything in the layouts that i’m not seeing in any other book on any given week. The puzzle thing was a nice gimmick but i didn’t see its point for the story. I dunno…the art is really pulling this thing down.
I know its different strokes and all but you really gave the ART a 5 ??? ooohhhkaaaayyy……. i’m glad you’re enjoying it though. =)
@wally: If there was an option for a 4.5 rating I would give it that. I did say in the review it isn’t perfect, and the faces are still a bit wonky here. But it’s an improvement over the previous four issues and if I’m honest: A 4.5 rating would lean more towards a 5 then a 4 for me.
But that’s just the limitations of the ratings we can give on this site more so then my actual thoughts.
@TheNextChampion –yeah see i put it at a “1” for technical reasons. Its not rendered well enough to be a anatomically proper, and its not cartoony enough to be stylized. The colors are weird…plastic or stage makeup. Was not into it at all. I’m surprised that you liked it. you seem to be one of the few.
The ‘point’ of the puzzle art is that it reflects what Conner is feeling internally — his life is one big puzzle, and something significant – something central – is missing from it. Hence the center ‘puzzle piece’ from that page is missing.
Then, the next page we see that an outline of that piece over Conner and Krypto, which can be interpreted in two different ways. One, that Conner and his world and cast are really just one ‘piece’ of the greater DCU puzzle themselves, and two that what the missing piece of Conner’s life has been there all along — that it’s LOVE, as shown by the love between a boy and his dog. That sort of human connection is what Conner is searching for throughout this story — thats why he went to highschool and moved to Smallville, thats why he took in Psionic Lad, is making friends with Simon, is trying to help the people of Smallville. He’s trying to ground himself with love, in others, in the world around him.