Action Comics #1087 came out last week, the first issue in this look back to Clark's earliest adventures as Superboy. If there ever was a story that needed to be told ... or is it retold ... it is this. With all the soft reboots, hard reboots, and reimaginations of recent years, I frankly don't know whether Superboy existed or not. It is time for DC to put their foot down. There was a Superboy, the adventures of Superman as a boy, who was part of the Legion. Classic.
Who better to write this tale than Mark Waid who also has been handed the difficult task of writing the upcoming History of the DCU. What started the universe? The hand Krona saw? Perpetua? Did Argo City survive Krypton's explosion? What about the Legion?
I have the sense that Waid will do the right thing. I certainly saw it here. We get a Legion reference. We get a loving Ma and Pa. We get some Pa Kent wisdom. And we get to see a very green Clark whisking into action for the first time. We see him realize these fights are real; he gets a bit battered. We see him get an understanding how powerful he is. It really feels fresh.
Skylar Patridge is on art and brings a very appropriate feel of youth and vitality to the book. I especially love her 'cobbled together' costume with beach shorts and red high tops instead of trunks and boots. Patridge seems perfect for young characters (she was the one bright point on the recent Mariko Tamaki Supergirl stories) so is a great fit.
On to the book.