6 Autobots
allhailgrimlock

Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

I'm a well read grad student who's bluntly honest about all things, although I try to be most honest about myself.   

Currently reading

Separate Orbits
Yael Mermelstein
Progress: 119/427pages
BATMAN #53 ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
LeeWeeksBatman53, TomKingBatman53
BATMAN #54 ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
MattWagnerBatman54, TomKingBatman54
BATMAN #52 ((DC REBIRTH)) ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
LeeWeeksBatman52, TomKingBatman52
BATMAN #51 ((DC REBIRTH)) ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
LeeWeeksBatman51, TomKingBatman51
Infinity Wars: Iron Hammer (2018) #1 (of 2)
Al Ewing, Humberto Ramos
Champions (2019-) #4
Jim Zub, Jacinto Benavente
SUICIDE SQUAD #46 ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
JosLuisSS46, RobWilliamsSS46
SUICIDE SQUAD #45 ((SINK ATLANTIS)) ((DC REBIRTH )) ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
JosLuisSuicideSquad45, RobWilliamsSuicideSquad45
Champions (2019-) #3
Jim Zub, Jacinto Benavente

Reviewing this whole series

Superboy Vol. 1: Smallville Attacks - Pier Gallo, Marco Rudy, Jeff Lemire

Some places say this covers only issues 1-6, one said the whole series, but I couldn't find a volume two anywhere.   Since I spent money on this whole series - a whopping 11 issues, compared to Spider-Man's 700 issue run, for example - I figured I'd read it all and review it all here. 

 

I liked Superboy.   His insecurities make him more relatable to me than, say, Superman, and I like the outsider aspect.   Not that Superman was lacking in that, but Superboy takes it a step further: he's a clone of Superman and Lex Luthor.   Kinky, DC!   Also, while Superman and Suberboy can both 'pass' for human, Superman had a relatively normal childhood: yes, he had powers, but he was born, and doesn't remember Krypton from what I recall.   He did, however, have the Kent's raising him.  

 

Superboy didn't have any of that, so it gives Superman's ultimate outsider status a run for it's money.   Then beat it.   Then flogged it. 

 

Point is, he seems more human to me than Superman is, and I like it.   It also helps that he struggles with girls - Cassie, Lori - and seems to have only really been befriended by another loner: a scientific genius and geek who is ostracized himself.   

 

Well, until the time-travel boy - Psion - and Phantom Stranger, who gives him cryptic advice and is a creeper and stalker but only for good, turn up.   It's a whole thing, as Conner Kent's life starts to unravel bit by bit.  

 

But the thing is it all leads up to him realizing how much Smallville is home, even if it's Superman's town and Superman's family he's living with, and that's kinda weird.   Also, Lori is a Luthor and Connor is a half-Luthor, so those sexy feelings they're having towards each other?   Kinda creep Connor out, and that doesn't even go into his apparently ugly and very apparently painful breakup with Wonder Girl/Cassie.

 

Still, this is fun, has a cameo by Kid Flash, and it ranges from just epic battles with Parasite and Poison Ivy to the supernatural and horror.   It's a nice mix, I like the characters, and the art is lovely, although not my favorite.  I should note that the covers are particularly gorgeous.   

 

I did have one issue: this feels like it was cancelled all of a sudden, or was an unexpectedly short run.   Simon Valentine, the geeky friend?   There was something building up with him and Psion, and I wanted to know how it ended!   There seemed to be no time to tie that up, so it's like Lemire pretended he didn't have to and ignored that storyline.   What now?   

 

Kinda a bummer.   So the rating reflects the disappointment in the dangling puppy reference.