Superboy #2

After one issue, I described this book as one of my favorites to my friend. I quickly stepped back to say it was a bit early to judge the book as such, but then I read this issue, and I must say, this series is now one of my favorites. It's so weird to me, seeing how I've never been a huge Superboy fan, but looking back I now see that Superboy is one of the few teenage heroes that really thrives in a solo series. Jeff Lemire and Pier Gallo have something great going here and I look forward to reading this series for what I hope is years to come. 
 
Our issue opens with Superboy, Krypto, and Simon dealing with the sudden appearance of Poison Ivy, who pleads with Superboy that she needs his help because the natural order of plant elementals is being disrupted by a machine that is wreaking mayhem in the town. After leaving Simon and Krypto to wait for the police with Parasite, Superboy and Poison Ivy fight through the wild nature around them to find the source of the problem, hooked up to a man. It's here that Poison Ivy shows her true colors, betraying Superboy but never fear, for Simon is here to rescue Superboy! Superboy quickly deals with the device, but as the issue closes we see that this entire crisis was arranged for a specific, and sinister cause... 
 
Jeff Lemire is quickly proving himself to be quite the talented scribe in my eyes. By keeping the tone of the series light and throwing in fantastically goofy concepts, Lemire makes a very silver-age world within Smallville. This is exactly what this series needs though. For those familiar with Clark Kent as Superboy, they often think of his crazy adventures with alien invaders and mad scientists in Smallville. Heck, even the TV show on the WB/CW managed to keep the wacky high-concepts that makes Smallville so famous. But it's really the way Lemire does it with so much heart and sincerity that grounds this book and makes it instantly approachable.  

  As I read over some other reviews of the last issue of Superboy, I saw that a few reviewers compared Gallo to Frank Quietly. I'll be honest though, there isn't much to connect them other than the softness of their drawings or the fantastic job they both do. I actually prefer Gallo in many ways because he avoids some of the weird faces Quietly sometimes makes and he manages to keep a relative realism to the entire story that helps make it very approachable. I find that Gallo draws Smallville and Superboy in a very silver-age way, but with a modern flair, which is exactly what this book needs and what makes it work. 
 
Overall, Superboy is proving to be a very solid addition to the Superman family and his adventures. While simplistic in some ways and not exactly groundbreaking for the character, this title does showcase great talent and easy, accessible fun. 4 out of 5 stars, here's hoping it stays this good!