Superman: Action Comics #1093 – Mark Waid, Writer; Skylar Patridge, Artist; Ivan Plascencia, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Superboy has already been through it in this run, going up against supervillains and the US military. But now he might be going up against something even scarier – corporate corruption. As Clark is preoccupied with the fact that his crush Lana is in love with his alter ego, Smallville finds itself hit with a wave of foreclosure notices from the bank. Farms that have been in the family for generations are being shut down despite everyone claiming to be paid up, and the Kent farm is on the list. It soon becomes clear that the new manager of the bank, who just took over from the city after the previous manager retired, is cooking the books to force people out of their homes, but he has the judge on his side and is refusing to hold off until people can prove it. Superboy immediately wants to resort to some less-than-ethical means to fix this, but his father puts his foot down – even if it costs them the farm.
This issue is fascinating for the ethical condundrums it poses, with Superboy essentially fighting a powerful enemy with one hand tied behind his back. As Smallville starts to unravel, and farmers take to defending their farms with shotguns, Clark clearly sympathizes with one side but finds that the other side has the law on its side. He’s ultimately left to try to infiltrate the bank itself and find the truth, but can he pull it off in a way that allows him to have the moral high ground when it comes to reveal it? One of my favorite parts of this series so far is that it shows how difficult it is not only to be a superhero but to raise one, with Jonathan and Martha feeling like they have to ensure their son understands right and wrong – even if it comes at great personal cost in this case. But the ending shows that an even bigger moral dilemma might be ahead for Superboy, as Sam Lane comes calling once again.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
