Review: Action Comics #1089
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Skylar Patridge
Colors: Ivan Plascencia
Letters: Steve Wands
Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
Mr. Blake’s identity is revealed as himself proves he knows that Clark is Superboy. Blake explains his concerns about Clark’s powers, and gives him a challenge….
Positives
With this run on Action Comics Mark Waid is retelling and updating Clark’s exploration of his powers and how he develops into a young hero. Back in the Silver and Bronze Ages, Clark was close to fully formed…just a younger version. That’s not to say he didn’t have some setbacks and perhaps mistakes, but for the most part, Clark didn’t run into a lot of trouble being Superboy. Post-Crisis, this self discovery was with a Clark who didn’t have a costumed identity. Waid takes us back to a DC Universe in which Clark is Superboy, but also adds a new wrinkle (besides the more modern setting), an older hero who has come to check on Clark.
I correctly identified Mr. Blake’s identity in the review of last issue as he’s revealed as Captain Comet in Action Comics #1089. With Waid’s New History of the DC Universe currently being published, it makes sense that he’s utilizing these Superboy stories to flesh out some of the moments from that new history. Captain Comet gets a mention in that series, but here he tells Clark and Ma and Pa Kent a bit of his past adventures. It’s nice how Ma and Pa are familiar with him but Clark has never heard of him. It gives a sense of the generational quality of the DC Universe and gives a sense of how much time has passed and that Captain Comet is not really known to people Clark’s age.
Positives Cont’d
Captain Comet gets a nuanced treatment. We know he’s a hero, a good guy, but his presentation here demonstrates a wariness of Clark’s powers and indeed the idea of super-powers in general. I don’t think Waid will turn Captain Comet full villain, but he’s also not here to simply be a gosh-gee-whiz-let-me-help-you mentor either. One of the really clever aspects of Waid’s story is how Captain Comet “helps” him in this issue. He sets him up with a challenge that Clark has to work out for himself. In that respect, Clark is figuring it out on his own, but Waid is still able to use Captain Comet as a hero from an older generation, providing Clark guidance while not giving Clark one-on-one instruction. Giving Clark a teacher would not feel right, Clark needs to come into himself mostly on his own.
Skylar Patridge continues to excel at communicating emotions both large and small. Even Captain Comet’s concern and emotional distance comes through clearly in her visual. Even the non-powered moments are laid out well and keep things interesting.
Negatives
General Sam Lane’s appearance and apparent alliance with Captain Comet at the end of Action Comics #1089 presents a cause for some concern, but I have faith that Waid will keep it from becoming a Hulk-vs. Thunderbolt Ross situation. Similarly, Clark’s run in with Kenny Braverman at school in this issue comes across very much like a Peter Parker/ Flash Thompson analog. This issue seems to give a sense that Waid won’t make it that, but it certainly makes sense to have at least a few moments like it as Clark learns the importance of staying under the radar.
Verdict
Action Comics #1089 is another great installment in this updating of the Adventures of Superman When He Was a Boy by Mark Waid and Skylar Patridge. There’s a great focus on character and use of DC Comics history to bring thing together as he effectively updates and brings modern storytelling sensibilities while also incorporating longtime DC history.
