Superman: Action Comics #1090 – Mark Waid, Writer; Skylar Partridge, Artist; Ivan Plascencia, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: There have been plenty of stories covering Clark Kent’s early years, from the bizarre Smallville to Geoff Johns’ Secret Origin and Waid’s own Birthright, but I don’t think any has ever had as much fun with it as that run. It perfectly captures the awkward vibe of a high-schooler with the power of Superman. From a vaguely sinister mentor/spy, to tearing off his own costume as he tests the limits of his super-speed, the book does a great job of making a supervillain attack feel no less consequential than asking a girl out on a date. And after much doing, Clark finally does manage to ask Lana to go out with him – sort of. They go to a diner together, and she promptly confesses her love – of Superboy. This is one of those hilariously awkward moments that make teen superhero books so great, and it’s a perfect callback to the love triangle Clark and Superman would later find themselves in with Lois.
But there’s no time to dwell on this humiliation, as another crisis is brewing – as Clark gets a call from Captain Comet that his powers are needed several states away. It seems that the villain Raze, who made his debut in the first issue of this run, has escaped from prison and hooked up with a duo of similar villains, and they’re attacking the lab of AI pioneer Dr. Will Magnus. This is long before the Metal Men were on the scene, and Magnus is always an interesting character – albeit one who there are a few more ethical concerns about now. But while Clark is able to survive the attack – and a possible first encounter with Kryptonite, which is still unnamed – he soon finds himself under attack from a familiar face. This is an early-bird appearance from one of Clark’s most complex antagonists, and this run continues to do an amazing job of fleshing out the character’s world long before he met most of his supporting cast.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
