The Reign of the Superboys mini-event begins with young Clark Kent stunned when a pleasantly rainy day takes a surprising turn. A mature oak tree explodes, prompting Superboy to save neighbour Lewis Lang from death by branch. After setting Lana’s dad to one side, Superboy takes the opportunity to ask him something he’s wondered for awhile.
So the notebook will remain a mystery, along with the fact the tree was destroyed before a lightning bolt appeared.
Soon after, on a sunnier day, Lana is with Clark and best pal Pete Ross as they visit the Metropolis Expo, first seen in Action Comics #1087. And there’s more strangeness.
Clark and Lana also seem to have everlasting ices, and across the exhibition site other odd things are happening.
Clark figures he should be ready for more trouble as Superboy, and Lana and Pete looking away gives him the chance to take to the skies. And in a way, he does get a glimpse of the future.
The nuttiness keeps on coming, and finally Superboy ends up back at the Expo’s Space Museum, where he hears a tiny voice, calling out to him from the mini-satellite dish seen on his previous visit. And with some concentration he manages to find the unseen owner of the voice. And he’s not alone.
Booster Gold, Mary Marvel and Martian Manhunter are free, but they’re being pursued, and we see by whom on the final page. Who is it? Beats me, I don’t recognise them at all, and they certainly don’t look tough enough to scare three top-tier heroes. We don’t have a name yelled out. And yet the trio from the future are terrified!
Now, solicitations tell me who they’re going to be facing, and had we got a clear shot of them, with a namecheck, at least longtime readers might have enjoyed the recognition factor. Not been excited by – we’re talking a C-list JLA foe – but perhaps intrigued.
Ah well, that apart this is another cracking issue. Seeing Superboy’s first experience with time shenanigans, and how cleverly he approaches a bizarre situation, is heartening – mistakes aren’t the only way to learn, you can grow by thinking things through logically, step by step.
Seeing the mystery museum exhibit from the first chapter of this serial again is fun, I certainly didn’t guess it was a prison for time-lost friends of Clark.
How this ties into the Reign of the Superboys crossover starting in the Super Family books this month, I don’t know; maybe it’ll be thematic rather than literal ties. What I do know is that with writer Mark Waid at the helm, it’ll entertain me.
Heck, this is a man who remembers the value of a good subplot – is anyone here not desperate to learn what Lewis Lang is up to?
Plus, even though she’s not seen in the issue, we get some great Martha Kent wisdom.
Regular artist Skylar Patridge returns after a couple of issue away and immediately impresses with his depiction of Smallville in the rain and the exploding tree. Colourist Ivan Plascencia deserves equal plaudits for making a wet afternoon attractively dramatic, as he does the whole book, with the background effects towards the end a treat.
Patridge does a terrific job of bringing Clark’s emotions to the fore, and Superboy’s suddenly very busy day out in Metropolis is sharply shown.
Letterer Steve Wands does splendid work throughout, from the straightforward yet striking title, ‘Effect and Cause’, to the final page ‘next issue’ blurb.
The cover is by Dan Mora, because of course it is. It’s a concept I’ve never seen previously, which is saying a lot. I’m in two minds as to whether we should see a bit more phantom foot – what do you reckon, is it more fun to notice it after a second or two, or would more immediate visual impact be better?
And bonus, we get Booster in the corner box with the Boy of Steel! OK, it perhaps spoils a surprise, but it looks great.
As for that blurb, ‘The search for Superman starts here!’, it’s irrelevant – so far, anyway.
Action Comics continues to be a refreshing reimagining of Superman’s early years, a comic not to be missed.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 