REVIEW: Superboy: The Man Of Tomorrow #3
Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow #3 picks up right where issue #2 left off and continues Conner’s quest of self rediscovery. The action, intrigue, and nonchalant attitude makes this the Superboy adventure we’ve been needing for a long time.
Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow #3 picks up right where issue #2 left off and continues Conner’s quest of self rediscovery. The action, intrigue, and nonchalant attitude makes this the Superboy adventure we’ve been needing for a long time.
This issue comes with three amazing covers as well. Jahnoy Lindsay’s standard cover is an epic depiction of Conner’s resolve. Facing down a hostile armada of alien spaceships, Superboy defiantly hovers in their way. The lone hero against incredible odds fused with the anticipation of Conner’s inevitable beat down of this fleet makes this a fun cover worthy to be displayed.
The variant by Ricardo Lopez Ortiz has Superboy larger than life and diving into action. The thick red border focuses all your attention to the image of Conner and his confident smile. The anime style inks really add to the sense of motion as Superboy dives head first out from his open sky background. It’s simply a great cover that captures Conner’s devil-may-care personality in all its 90’s glory.
Tom Reilly’s variant features the House of El’s best boy, Krypto. The whimsical scene has Conner and Krypto fly walking around the Metropolis skyline on a gorgeous sunny day. The pair is all smiles as they both soak in the relative normalcy of a daily task. The bright colors highlight the jovial and relaxing feel to the piece that’s sure to put a smile on anyone’s face.
Jahnoy Lindsay handles all the entire interior art duties. The way he blends his backgrounds to create a sense of depth really draws you into the scene he’s drawn. His character designs are fantastic and helps stick the space opera feel of the story.
The body language of each character is spot on which gives weight to the suspicious antics of The Cosmoteers. The opening space battle alone is worth reading just to see Superboy cut loose for several amazing panels. Although there’s definitely some sinister details playing in the background of the story, Lindsay makes sure this book is a fun visual experience for any age fan.
Kenny Porter, lettered by Lucas Gattoni, excels at fast paced storytelling that’s still full of important exposition that never bores the reader. Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow #3 begins with Conner using his signature tactile telekinesis to help The Cosmoteers defeat a Khund fleet. Porter’s understanding of Superboy’s personality really stands out through this sequence as he’s both cocky and self-critical at the same time. With his help getting their refugee passengers safe from the Khunds, The Cosmoteers decide they could use Superboy’s charismatic nature in their cause. As weeks fly by, Conner appears to win over the three freedom fighters but something suspiciously dark looms in The Cosmoteers’s plans. Before we can discover what those plans are, a new bioengineered weapon strikes leading to this issue’s cliffhanger.
What appears on the surface as a run-of-the-mill superhero story is constantly shown to have a layered depth of misdirection and intrigue to keep the readers guessing. The true nature of what is being told and what is really happening perfectly places us in Superboy’s point-of-view which creates a fascinating and compelling tale. There’s a myriad of ways this story could play out and any one of them is sure to be an entertaining and fulfilling ride to the end.
