REVIEW: Action Comics #1092

Action Comics #1092 provides a deeper dive into Clark and Superboy and how our young hero balances two egos at once. A familiar face in the Superman lexicon shows up, but where the next big Superboy story will take us remains to be seen. 

Ryan Sook’s cover is the classic “what if Metropolis turned on Superman” with this series’ Superboy. It does indeed hit a little differently with him as a teenager -not near full power, and people are already afraid of him. Sook’s art looks great, but Superboy’s torso could be a little smaller. His face could also better reflect his age, as he looks a little older here. The Superboy under the legacy numbering can serve as a reference.

Joe Quinones always seems to be drawing Superman smiling, and his variant is no exception. The Man of Steel has a long and storied history of rescuing even the smallest of creatures. Even among a crowd of people, everyone and everything is getting saved. Here, it’s finding a lost kitten under a tractor. The farmland setting adds to the whole Americana feel, and the Superboy suit details are all just right. 

Skylar Patridge may not be returning as the artist for this issue, but we still get a variant from her. This one is pretty much a scene from #1087 when Clark finds out Lana likes Superboy, as he’s out to tell her how he feels as Clark -putting him in a comedic yet existential ego crisis. This is one of the many fun parts of these Superboy adventures. Without all the Action Comics typeface, it really does look like it could be a panel from the last arc, which she did a great job touching up Superboy, which can feel retro, to make it more modern. 

Another great Superboy variant is available from Collen Doran. 

It’s not Smallville without its quirky characters, and old man McElroy is one of them as Superboy performs one of his first high-flying rescues from his homemade biplane. In fact, Superboy has been busy testing his powers and keeping his hometown safe. However, the recent rumblings from the Captain Comet episode have drawn the attention of General Sam Lane.  

Meanwhile, Clark is still between a rock and a hard place about Lana. Normal kids growing up don’t exactly have to worry about alter egos getting a life of their own. Clark heads home from the town’s fireworks, and his friend from school, Pete, runs into him. His best friend is a reminder of the connections that Clark Kent can make. However, Superboy can connect with the whole world as we see. That is, until he gets to Metropolis, where saving an old lady causes her to faint. Superboy gets his first taste of mob anger. He returns home to Smallville, only to find that Sam Lane is in town. 

Instead of kicking off the next big arc in a blockbuster fashion, Action Comics #1092 takes advantage of the writing medium to be a piece on the question of who is the main ego, Clark or Superman. According to Mark Waid, this is a question that he was even asking himself when he was Superboy. Sam Lane showing face is cool, but that’s about all we get for any real conflict. But with how appealing Waid’s words what’s mundane compared to what else is going on in the DC Universe makes this issue strong enough on its own. Letters are by Steve Wands. 

Cian Tormey takes over as artist for this issue and perhaps the arc going forward with colors by Ivan Plascencia. While the only one with any powers he draws here is Superboy, there’s lots of visual appeal in several panels on their own in lieu of choreographed action sequences. It’s those small acts of heroism that go a long way with the Superboy in different parts of the world, panels being the winners.

(8/10) Action Comics #1092 doesn’t need to start off the next Superboy arc with a bang. Instead, it’s with introspection and that classical question of the two egos that has been debated throughout the decades and across media.