Review: Action Comics #1089

Action Comics #1089 came out last week, the next chapter in the Superboy story weaving through the title. And, not surprising given the quality of the earlier issues, it is a very good book. 

Writer Mark Waid is showing us Superboy at his earliest. What I like about this issue is that it shows that Clark was, by no means, perfect. With his powers manifest and a second identity to use them and soak up the adulation of others, we see a more confident Superboy. But that means it might be a little harder to accept being the 'normal' Clark Kent. Suddenly he is acting sullen to his parents, standing up to bullies a bit too much, and ready to smash the landscape to cut loose. Most adolescents rebel a little. I guess a super-adolescent might super-rebel.

On top of that, Waid introduces Captain Comet as a former super-hero perhaps trying to warn Clark not to lose control, not to get a god complex. But there is more to this Comet than meets the eye. There is something nefarious.

It makes for a good read and humanizes our hero. He is human in many ways and he shows it. Waid just seems to understand Superman.

Skylar Patridge remains on art and gives us a very nostalgic, very sweet appearing, very polished look. In particular, her Clark and Lana pages just sing. But there is one page that again showed me why I love this medium, a mix of art and words that perfectly captures the moment.

On to the book.

Last issue ended with Clark's teacher Mr. Blake arriving at the Kent Farm and revealing he knows Clark is Superboy. We pick up right there.

When Clark asks if Blake works for the government, Blake gives a sort of non-answer. He denies he is there that night as a Goverment agent. (Of course, that means he could be an agent, just not there that night for that reason.)

He does give off creepy vibes and throughout the issue Clark points out the red flags. It is a nice opening part of the scene making Blake seem less than trustworthy.

Blake then reveals he is Captain Comet, a hero whose adventures Ma followed as a girl. 

Thankfully, Waid knows enough to list off his powers so people like me, who never have a good hold on them, will know what he can do.

Fun panel by Patridge showing Comet move everything around in the Kent house.

But Comet is there with a warning. He has seen many 'heroes' on other worlds, people with the best intentions, become despots, murderers, deviants. He doesn't want that to happen to Clark.

He rattles off names I don't recognize. But Darun Krinn from Braal? 

Does Cosmic Boy have a terrible ancestor? Interesting.

Blake's warnings seem ominous.

We then see Clark sort of being fresh to his parents. He floats in mid-air on the farm and does his chores at super-speed ... both against Pa's wishes.

When Ma says she is sick of darning Clark's shirts and maybe he could catch the bullets instead of striking a pose and letting the bullets rip through the fabric. (Perhaps that iconic pose is a bit haughty, like Clark reveling in his power?)

Sick of being told what to do, Clark grumbles and storms off to school.

I don't think I have seen Clark be so dismissive of the Kents before.

At school, Blake singles Clark out in class. When he sees Clark daydreaming while staring at Lana, he points out the Clark that leaders have to respect the power they have and not let it go to their heads.

The scene is cute at first with an obviously smitten Clark looking at Lana.

But then Blake calling him out in class breaks the sweetness. Perhaps this isn't really respecting Clark's secret identity. Surely the other students must think this personal call out to be strange.

And then the page I love. When Clark tries to catch up to Lana after class, he is pushed to the ground by Kenny Braverman. 

With the books falling in slo-mo, we see Clark make a fist. We see him move before the books hit the ground. But it is that glare in the first panel followed by the red background that ramp up the feeling of Clark's anger. 

I know how furious he is without any words. It is just the art.

And we again see how this Clark is sort of testing limits, or feeling good about himself. He slams Kenny to the ground. But then recognizing he shouldn't have he storms off.

He zooms out of Smallville as Superboy so fast he bends the welcome to Kansas sign. It looks like he is planning to demolish a mountain just to let off some steam when Comet arrives and stops him.

If Clark wants to do something maybe he could do something constructive ... like stop a swarm of locusts.

Bending a sign and demolishing a mountain out of anger and frustration doesn't sound very Superman like. But this frustration of being told what to do and holding himself back feels real. What teenage kid would want to act like a timid Clark when the world loves you as Superboy?

I won't tell you how the locusts are thwarted but know Clark has to use his brains to figure it out.

But my worries about Comet bear fruit. We see him talking to General Lane about the threat Superboy is. At least he doesn't reveal Superboy is Clark Kent. But working with General Lane? That can't be a good thing.

I rather enjoyed this whole issue. It is seeing this young Clark trying to find out how to navigate the world, a still new thing to him, that really has reeled me in. I haven't read many 'very early Superboy stories' within the timeline so this feels fresh. Patridge's art suits the story perfectly.

Overall grade: A