The Bronze Age Method
This book is becoming one of the most uneven titles in the New 52 for me. Some issues of Superboy I’ve liked a lot but some have just fallen flat. Unfortunately, since Tom DeFalco took over there have been more dead spots. To start off, I like that they’ve continued developing Kon’s moral ambivalence. Last issue he robbed a bank and in this one he’s drinking underage and partying with vapid celebrities (including a Paris Hilton analogue). This puts him in sharp contrast to Superman and shows you what superpowers look like in the hands of someone who isn’t evil so much as selfish and apathetic. That aspect of Superboy’s personality remains the strength of the book.
Before I get to what I didn’t like about the plot, let me tell you something about my history with Tom DeFalco: It’s always been love/hate. Tom wrote one of my favorite books growing up in the ‘90’s: Guardians of the Galaxy. It exploded off the page with imagination and melodrama. Tom, also, oversaw one of the most boring periods in the history of the Amazing Spider-Man. It seemed like every issue Spider-Man fought a new villain who wasn’t too interesting, Spider-Man would defeat said villain, and the fiend would disappear into the shadows to perhaps return if you still even gave a damn (which wasn’t too likely). I call this plot formula “the Bronze Age Method” because it was popular in the ‘70’s to use this type of story over and over again. Tom Defalco is a master of “the Bronze Age Method” and I’m afraid that’s what he’s starting to do here in the pages of Superboy since the plot of this issue perfectly mirrors the formula. Unfortunately, this type of story is tired and overdone in the superhero genre, and DeFalco would do himself a favor by trying to break from this habit and put a bit more depth into his scripts in the future. His imagination is capable of more. He just needs to try a bit harder.
It was also too bad that there were two different pencillers for this issue. DC has been pulling that stunt a lot since the New 52 began and it’s starting to get old. It’s distracting to have the art completely change mid-issue, and I’m not the kind of reader who usually complains about this sort of thing. Both artists did a decent job within their respective styles, however. The book was attractive and the characters facial expressions matched the pace and action. Did anyone else think that Bunker looked a bit off, though? Overall, this issue wasn’t great and the series really needs to start digging deeper if it wants to retain readers. Tom DeFalco may have been able to get away with the pointless battle formula up into the early ‘90’s but it’s 2012 now. Superboy is supposed to be a title that channels the spirit and energy of a younger generation. The plots should prove it.
