Dec
SuperBoy #4
That’s pretty much the situation happening in this title. Since issue one, nothing much has changed in the status quo of the plot except Superboy discovering he is not fully human (which we all knew from the beginning) and that “Red” is actually Caitlin Fairchild, formerly of Wildstorm’s Gen13, which is a surprising development to be sure, but not one that has much of an impact other than removing yet another of Superboy’s sparse supporting cast.
Caitlin’s confrontation with Superboy also has some logical faults to it. Having been protective and even a bit meek around the clone since he was still floating in a silo, it’s not entirely convincing that she would hulk out and even threaten to finish him off simply because he broke into her room and interrogated her. The whole scene feels mostly forced, and it adds absolutely nothing to the plot whatsoever.
The only thing that comes out of this unfortunate parting of the ways is the introduction of Centerhall, yet another agent of N.O.W.H.E.R.E., who spends some time emphasizing how much he also doesn’t know about Superboy. But at least he has enough authority to let Superboy go free, although he gives no reason for the decision other than, “Zaniel, even Dr. Fairchild…treated you like a prisoner. I don’t work that way…” No word on what exactly happened to Zaniel after the prison-break debacle, or who “authorized” Centerhall to stick his nose in Superboy’s affairs.
Sadly, Superboy doesn’t really put his freedom to good use, spending most of it at the library, which just seems like a colossal wasted opportunity both for him and for the story. Lobdell could have had a lot of fun letting Superboy experience the many flavors of the real world, and instead he truncates Superboy’s week of independence to a dissatisfying blurb: “You might be surprised how boring ‘freedom’ can be.”
It feels like Lobdell wanted to hurry the plot along so he can get to Superboy’s first brush with heroism, but the execution is just messy. The villains in question—let’s call them “Sweety Bum” and “Honey Bunny,” as they have no actual names we’re aware of—prove to be no match for Superboy, and completely one-dimensional (“Homicide is supposed to be fun!”). And Superboy’s preachy attitude makes the whole affair irritating to read: “I was starting to think because I was made better, that I am better. But you guys have made it clear that’s not the case.”
Silva is gradually overcoming his weakness in drawing faces that look distinct from each other; you can actually tell Superboy and “Honey Bunny” (the boy villain) apart even without hair. But Silva has always been able to deliver on a lot of other levels and he shows it here. His image of Rockefeller Center at Christmastime is lovely, made breathtaking by the Hories’ excellent coloring, especially in the spectrum of lights they put on the tree.
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