Issue #75: Comic Books For The Week Of Wednesday, November 4, 2009!

Late comic book for the week of Wednesday, October 14, 2009:

Adventure Comics #3/503 (DC) * * * 1/2

I was very negligent as a Legion fan when I didn't notice this issue came out last month. But I've made amends by getting this issue this week. The first story continued the Superboy feature, The Boy Of Steel, where Conner Kent adjusted to like again, both as a student at Smallville High and as a super hero. There was a humorous scene with Superboy about the problems with playing fetch with a super pet. The rest of the story was Conner reconnecting with Tim Drake / Red Robin. They worked together on their twin searches for Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor. I especially enjoyed the character moments between Tim and Conner as they shared each other's burdens. At the end of this chapter it turns out that Conner and Tim aren't the only ones searching for someone, which bodes ill for future issues. I would give this story 4 (*)'s.

The Legion story was okay. It had some humorous moments between Sun Boy and Polar Boy at Polar Boy's very hot home planet of Tharr. They are there to search for Cryo-King. The rest of the story is a super battle. The best part of the story was the reveal at the end. Overall I would give it 3 (*)'s. It was a good action story but nothing to push it over the top to rate it higher. That's why I split the difference with rating the issue overall.

Comic books for the week of Wednesday, October 28, 2009:

Invincible presents Atom Eve & Rex Splode #1 (of 3) (Image)
Superman #693 (World Against Superman #13) (DC)
Superman: World Of New Krypton #9 (World Against Superman #14)

Invincible presents Atom Eve & Rex Splode #1 (of 3) (Image) * * * *

This mini-series, as the title implies, gives the origin story of the relationship between Rex and Eve. This is done by the same creative team that did the previous Atom Eve mini-series. The new one begins with the story of Rex Splode as a boy. I thought Eve had a rough start, but she experienced nothing compared to Rex's childhood. How he came to possess super powers is a long and sad story, but I won't spoil the plot here. The art has improved from the first issue of the previous Eve issues. If you want to learn more about Rex's background, even if you don't read Robert Kirkman's other hero title Invincible, this mini-series won't disappoint. Knowledge about Invincible isn't necessary to enjoy this story, but it may pique your interest. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Superman #693 (World Against Superman #13) (DC) * * * *

This is the most satisfying issue of Superman or Action Comics in the last few issues. As the cover indicates, this issue fills in the story about what happened to Mon-El when he was taken down by Gen. Lane's agents. It is a dark and sinister story of a character who was captured by the enemy and what he endures. This story ties into the time immediately after Brainiac and Luthor escaped Gen. Lane several issues ago. The issue ends with the Guardian and the rest of the Metropolis Science Police facing the latest threat to the city.

Superman: Secret Origins #2 (of 6) (DC) * * * * *

As much as I've enjoyed Superman: World Of New Krypton, Secret Origins has quickly become my favorite comic book series of 2009. This issue combines elements of the original Superboy meeting the Legion stories combined with the early 1990's special issue Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography. We see the beginnings of Superboy's career, which is not as smooth as the silver age indicated. We are introduced to Chief Parker, who appeared in old Legion stories when they traveled back in time to Smallville. As the cover indicates this issue presents an updated introduction of Superboy to the Legion, complete with the location of their original headquarters. It also introduces us to the origin of another familiar member of Superman's, or Superboy's supporting cast. This mini-series is a perfect example of the best Geoff Johns story, taking familiar elements of past continuity and weaving them together to form a new tapestry that will be revealed in future issues and rekindling enthusiasm for the Superman world of comic books.

Comic books for the week of Wednesday, November 4, 2009:

Superman: World Of New Krypton #9 (of 12) (World Against Superman #14) * * *

As enthused as I have been with this mini-series, this was the first one that did not move the plot along at a cosmic pace. It wrapped up one conflict and set up the next one. It finished the conflict between the Kryptonian forces and Jemm of Saturn. He has some history with Kal-El as Superman, but I am not that familiar with this character. His past with Superman was an advantage in resolving the conflict, although I won't say how it is wrapped up. There are seeds of discontent of some New Krypton citizens who were allies of Kal-El. The issue ends with the introduction of another classic DC character who has a grudge against New Krypton. The line seems to extend around the block at this point. The ending does pique my interest for the next issue and seems to hint of big things to come. So even though the issue wasn't as action packed as previous issues I am still excited about this series, and what is to come for Superman in 2010.

Send e-mail to mypulllist@gmail.com.

Superman Fan Podcast can be found at http://supermanfanpodcast.mypodcast.com/. Expanded show notes are available at http://supermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com/. Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com.

You can join both the Superman Fan Podcast and My Pull List groups on facebook. Follow both the podcast and blog on twitter @supermanpodcast.