I have been reading Suicide Squad since the relaunch earlier this year.
I had read Robbie Thompson books in the past and enjoyed them. So this seemed like a no-brainer.
But I had one problem become pretty evident in the first issue.
Conner Kent, back in jeans and a black t-shirt, was on the team and under the thumb of Amanda Waller. I wasn't sure how he got there. Or why he would join. Or what Waller had on him to keep him there. And he seemed like a different character than the eager young hero I read in the Brian Michael Bendis Superman and Young Justice books.
But the book was solid. There is dark humor. The characters are interesting. And it seemed like Conner was almost on a secret mission within the Squad so continued to buy.
Glad I stuck it out.
The last issue had the Squad invade Earth 3.
Superboy is a bit unhinged on the world. He seems addled. Waller says he needs to leave the planet and definitely needs to take some 'medicine' when he returns to Earth 0 to heal.
She gives him a pep talk about how he isn't a killer, even for her.
He leaves the battle and teleports home.
Again, at this point, I was relatively annoyed that one more Super character was being darkened. It seems like these days only Jon gets any love.
Then I hit the last page!
Back on the main Earth, the team encounters .... Conner Kent, dressed as he was in the Bendis books.
Amazing!
Why is the Superboy starring in this book acting different than Conner was? Because he isn't Conner! Or isn't *this* Conner.
In this day and age of instant comic gratification and spoilers and solicits breaking news, this hit me like a ton of bricks.
And more importantly, it makes sense. The answer was right in front of me, in plain sight.
A tip of the hat to Robbie Thompson. When a crusty old comic reader like me gets surprised, that is gold.
I loved this twist, and explains why the rest of the Super family was never looking for/commenting on Connor's falling off the radar...because he never did! I have to think that the 'medicine' T-Shirt Connor takes keeps him from going 'Bizzaro' like Match...
ReplyDeleteNice idea!
ReplyDeleteMatch!
Amazing!
If Amanda Waller understands that the S doesn't stand for homicide, you would think that Supergirl's writers would.
ReplyDeleteYep, great surprise! From what Ultraman said he saw, the Squad Superboy is a clone of Conner.
ReplyDeleteYep, this was a fantastic twist -- one I didn't see coming, even though I saw a preview of the Annual cover, with multiple Superboy clones, a while back. Just didn't put two and two together somehow!
ReplyDelete