By: Jeff Lemire (writer), Pier Gallo (artist), Jamie Grant (colorist)

The Story: Enter Psionic Lad, master of mental might, escapist of eras…and feigner of friendship.

The Review: There’s nothing like time-traveling hijinks to liven up a story.  It’s literally twice the fun: the world of the past and the world of the future.  Then there’s all the interest in connecting elements between the two, and seeing how their interaction may alter events in either period.  Time-traveling stories really only get messy when the past and future selves of the same characters come together, creating all manner of quantum loops and feedbacks that make your head spin.

Fortunately, Jeff Lemire wisely avoids bringing in space-time paradoxes on top of what is already ramping up to be an entertaining story arc.  The appearance of Psionic Lad and his grim portents of the future signal much higher-stakes challenges for Superboy—a good thing, considering what few opportunities he has had to prove his competence so far.  Even here, besides the quick tussle with the Acropolis Science-Hunters, the action level still remains pretty low-key.

Still, the intensifying drama in this issue keeps you invested in where the story’s going.  The reveal of Psionic Lad’s motivations for seeking out Superboy’s help comes at a slow burn, but laced throughout his explanations are a bunch of questionable details that keep you guessing at his true intentions.  The final scene is one right out of the Handbook of Classic Twists, but Lemire’s paced execution still gets you pumped to see how this will all blow up in their faces.

At the same time, Lemire doesn’t neglect the plot threads he’s already lain down in previous issues.  Psionic Lad’s handy abilities allow Superboy and Co. to glean some more clues about the big bad guys still lurking in Smallville.  The Science-Hunters’ reactions to Simon Valentine also indicate that we may be treated to more clues about the boy genius’ ultimate connection to the Boy of Steel.  It’s nice to know Lemire’s got a definite direction he wants to take this title.

Lori and Superboy finally get some quality time together, and for the first time, it feels as if Lemire’s really gotten a handle on Connor’s voice.  It’s been difficult getting sold on this more introspective version of him, but now that he’s starting to veer away from self-involved angst and more toward straightforwardness, he’s becoming a lot more likeable.  His conversation with Lori explores what kind of relationship they can have from here on out, and boldly tackles some semi-touchy issues regarding their heritage.

Pier Gallo’s strengths and weaknesses are the same as they ever were.  It’s certainly looking as if he flies best when the script calls for a lot of action or stylish elements.  He gives a lot of energy to the scuffle with the Science-Hunters, and his dynamic use of paneling really makes Psionic Lad’s mental powers seem that much more convincing.  On the other hand, he doesn’t offer much variety in facial expressions, underselling the dramatic scenes, and combined with Jamie Grant’s pale colors, the characters tend to look a little soft and sickly.

Conclusion: A bunch of storylines take steps forward in this issue, and it looks like now that the preliminary character work is done, Lemire is free to put the pedal to the metal and go all-out in giving Superboy some definitive adventures.  We’ll see how it works out next issue.

Grade: B

– Minhquan Nguyen

Food for Thought:

I wonder at those blank panels in Mr. Gillam’s memory; are they purposely blocked off or truly lost bits of information?  Either way, it’s sure to be crucially important, of course.

– I like that Gallo makes Superboy’s shirts hang long on Psionic Lad’s leaner frame.

– I would say that last panel would be my definitive conception of crazy eyes.

Second Opinion

The Story: Superboy and Simon team up with their new friend from the future, Psionic Lad, while trying to get to the bottom of their mysterious enemies.

What’s Good: It’s a comic with a character named Psionic Lad, who comes from a dystopic far future and it’s one that features Superboy battling robo-suited thugs called Science Hunters.

In other words, this issue is gleeful Silver Age goodness.  It’s goofy and light, but it’s also a lot of fun.  Sure it’s cheesy at times and never really challenges the brain or elicits powerful emotions, but it’s still damned good time, reminding one of the happy go-lucky comics of old.  Given that it’s a Superboy comic in Smallville, that retro wholesome feel suits the comic well and leads to a book that’s a relatively enjoyable read.  It’s just a lot of fun watching Superboy and Psionic Lad blast bad guys that look like the robot from Lost in Space.

That said, that’s not the only thing Jeff Lemire shoots for.  I’m still absolutely in love with these mysterious farmer/alien bad guys and I was pleasantly surprised to see them in this issue.  They’ve got a great retro horror/sci -fi body snatchers vibe that I can’t get enough of.  They’re incredibly creepy, all the moreso given how Lemire chooses to show us their activities this month.  I can’t wait to see more of these guys.

My curiosity is also piqued by Lemire’s work with Lori this month.  It seems that Lemire wants to take the character in a more hardened, bitter route, as evidenced by her smoking this month.  Now, that smoking thing may seem superficial, but it actually strikes a hard note in such a wholesome, Smallville book.  Lemire is moving to add further layers to the character, and that’s far from a bad thing.

There’s even a cool twist at the end.  It’s the oldest trick in the book, but it still caught me by surprise, particularly at how soon it came about.

What’s Not So Good: I really had mixed feelings about Pier Gallo’s art this month.  On the one hand, his layouts are solid and I loved his work on the farmer-aliens and the Science Hunters.  On the other hand, Lori looked pretty bad throughout the issue.  Her anatomy was odd at times and her facial expressions were off more often than they were on.  Honestly, while Lori comes off the worst, I think Gallo has a problem with characters’ faces in general; even Conner comes off like a mannequin at times.  There’s just something vaguely soulless about Gallo’s characters.

Overall though, I enjoyed this issue, but I can see many readers not sharing those feelings, especially if they came in off of Sweet Tooth.  This issue isn’t emotionally resonant, nor is it a psychological or challenging read.  It’s a straight-up Silver Age, family-friendly book with some creepy retro horror moments.  It doesn’t try to be more than that.

Conclusion: A found it a lot of fun, but I can imagine more demanding readers poking holes in it.  So look at my grade with that in mind.

Grade: B

-Alex Evans

 

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Conclusion