Comics! Superboy #0

Superboy #0 

Tom Defalco: writer
R.B. Silva: penciller
Rob Lean: inker

The Solicitation
• Mysteries are revealed as we learn Harvest’s reasons for creating Kryptonian clones! • This bloody chapter of Superboy’s history ties directly into issue #1 of the series – and the future of the entire DC Universe!

Preview

Why I Bought It
I bought issue #1 of the series and i wanted to see what has been happening with the book and see how it is handling what is essentially a second start.

What I Liked
Silva's art. It has been awhile since I last saw it, and it seems to have changed a bit to match the violent story. But it was nice to see again.

I also appreciated the clone uprising story. Not because it was any good, but because I've recently started re-watching the Planet of the Apes movie series. I will gladly appreciate that movie series more when I see how badly done a planetary uprising story can go.

What I Didn't Like
The story of Superboy itself clearly started hemorrhaging around the time that each issue had a new person "in control" of how Superboy interacted with the world. This whole business of making him a clone and not the hybrid that you originally thought, and these hidden V.R. programs and secret training and texts of ancient uprisings on Krypton and the whole lot of it just stink.

To retcon a comic - retroactive continuity - on a book that is only a year old and being done by a different writer than who was there the first time around takes a lot of talent and really has to have the skill to pull it off. This just comes across as forced and trying to develop something into a conflict and possible story line that just doesn't need to be there.

Panel to Remember
The possibly coolest one was when Superman attacked Superboy. It was in a V.R. program being run in Superboy's head, either when he was training or when he was stuck in a glass tube and already under another V.R. training program (layers upon layers mean story, right?).

I will also give a mini shout out to Supergirl magically appearing in the first couple of pages for some reason. Who cares, she was ignored. I also question if it was her since this story of the clone uprising was supposed to happen in her lifetime, because... oh fuck it. I'm just done trying to read this comic and take it seriously anymore and try to justify its craziness.

Quotable
"Monster! Abomination!" - The perfect way to describe this book.

Grades
Words: 2/10
Pictures: 6/10
Buy Next Issue: That's a big fat no if this is the direction it is heading into. I'm not even going to be putting this book in my long box with the other comics, it is going straight into the donate to charity pile.