The Good
Superboy has been a tough character to relate to in the New 52. He started as almost an villain, causing problems for the Teen Titans. Their conflict eventually settled and started seeing glimmers of the character we knew before. With Justin Jordan coming on board, he does start out with a bit of a mystery as well as tying up some lose ends.
Similar to what we've just seen in BATMAN #19 (and other comics obviously), Superboy is in a bit of a predicament. How he got there, we're not quite sure as the story jumps back to show us the events leading up to it. As I mentioned on the recent Batman issue, it's a fun change of pace that we've seen before and it does add to the suspense, even though you know where events have to go.
We have more of Dr. Psycho, who we've seen in the last couple issues. This version is interesting and it's hard to figure out what exactly he's after. He will be playing a role in this story and whether or not he'll be helping Superboy or turning against him remains to be seen.
Normally I have big issues when there's more than artist on an issue. This one has four. You can see the change in art but it almost flows together smoothly. Almost. We do get some nice depictions of Superboy during his fight.
The Bad
I did mention the change in art. It wasn't as bad as we've seen before in other titles. It's just unfortunate when there is a need for it, despite the chance to see different artists' interpretation. It does pull you away from the story momentarily.
While we do know what will eventually happen but this story doesn't quite take us to that point just yet. It could be considered a bit of a cliffhanger but it also makes you feel like they left you hanging.
The Verdict
Justin Jordan is setting things up for Superboy. We get an interesting first page and then get to see how it starts to come together. You can feel Superboy is trying to find a direction for himself and this story and mission might be what it takes to make that happen. We have a good mix of art as there are four different artists in this issue. But that's also a bad thing as you momentarily get pulled out of the action when you notice the art style change. I've gone back and forth on this title but I am interested to see where this new direction will take the series. If anything, the last page should definitely make you want to come back for more. This could be the beginning of something wonderful.
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