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Damage #12
Impulse
#3 #17 #19
#20 #32
#33
#35 Annual #2
Inferno #1
#2
Legion of Super Heroes
Secret Files #1
Legionnaires #57
Power of Shazam
Robin #46
#47
Plus#1
Sovereign Seven
Superboy
#44
#45
#46
#47
#50
Superboy and the Ravers
Teen Titans #6
Wonder Woman
#128 #129
Remember a while back when the kid gave his Legion flight ring to Roxy? How 'bout when the Legion found out about it? It seems that Superboy just can't do anything right lately, and when the Legion drops by for a return visit, it's not to chat and reminisce. And when Cosmic Boy takes away Superboy's honorary Legion membership, it's up to the kid to show his 30th Century amigos he still has what it takes to be a Legionnaire. And even though the combined efforts of Superboy and the Legion isn't enough to prevent Silver Sword from stealing the spear of Lono, the kid manages to save the day and convince Cosmic Boy to reconsider reinstating him in the Legion.
RTT rating . . . 8
by staylor104@aol.com
This is the kind of story that makes me want to read about Superboy. Thanks to Ron Marz, the kid is now stuck forever (though in comic book terms, forever means absolutely nothing) in the body of a 16-year-old. Lately the kid has been using that as an excuse to refuse to grow up on the inside, and that hasn't been sitting well with Tana. Well, in this issue it all hits the fan, folks. Tana and Superboy have a little talk-it-out session that leaves their relationship torn, maybe beyond repair. That's right. It's a Dear John letter for the kid of steel. Not exactly the way he expected to be rewarded for reclaiming the Spear of Lono from Silver Sword, who stole it last issue. The story rocked, and the art was a far site better than the art from the #30s issues.
RTT rating . . . 8
by staylor104@aol.com
Ok. I miss Mark Waid. I really miss Mark Waid. But I'll admit it; I've enjoyed William Messer-Loebs run on Impulse so far. And issue #32 was no exception. After allowing Preston to get shot a few issues back, Impulse has a change of heart and decides to start thinking out his plans before rushing into his heroics. But wait till you see how long it takes Impulse to decide anything! He may be the world's fastest teenager, but he's got to be the world's slowest decision maker. This one is (as they say back where I grew up) a real hoot. Oh, yeah, and Craig Russeau's art is sort of starting to grow on me. Well, a little anyway.
RTT rating . . . 7
by staylor104@aol.com
Don't waste your time on the Impulse story in this one. It's a disjointed tale of Bart visiting a dude ranch and saving the day.
RTT rating . . . 3
The backup story featuring Max Mercury as Windrunner, however, is a gem. My only beef with it is that it doesn't seem like the same man we now know as Max Mercury. Windrunner is cold, callous, and aloof, and doesn't look at all like Max (not even in the face). The art is okay, but seems kind of rushed. The story, however, is a great tale that ties Max's own history in with that of the Wild West hero, Johnny Thunder (no, not the guy from the JSA).
RTT rating . . . 6
by staylor104@aol.com
A near-perfect book. This coming-of-age-type tale ties in to the Genesis crossover, and shows a side of Robin we don't often get to see. While trying to save young gangbanger, Young El (the guy who killed a fellow student at Tim Drake's school and got off scot-free), the Boy Wonder learns a difficult lesson in why courage and heroism don't always succeed. When nothing he can do works, and Young El dies anyway, Tim begins to question his role as Robin. Staz's artwork is right on target and helps this moody tale from Dixon's pen flow perfectly.
RTT rating . . . 9.5
by staylor104@aol.com
This was something of a let-down after such a flawless last issue. Robin heads off to stop the war that the General has started, which puts him in hot water with both Batman (who didn't authorize the trip) and his father (who has grounded Tim). The art is cool, and the interaction with Alfred and Nightwing works, but it's just hard to follow an issue like #46. Besides, the General stories never have really done much for me. Nice try, but just a smidge short of the usual great work.
RTT rating . . . 6
by staylor104@aol.com
Inferno of the Legion of Superheroes gets her very own solo adventure. Pretty miffed at her teammates, Inferno tosses her flight ring and head off to God-knows-where to clear her head and get away from it all. Well, a few dreams and visions later, she ends up at a mall, hanging out with a bunch of losers who are worse off than the time-stranded Legionnaires. All in all, a pretty good book, though I don't care much for the villain. A few tidbits about Inferno's history made this a must-read book for Legion fans.
RTT rating . . . 6
by staylor104@aol.com
More of the same. More blackouts and visions of a talking Panda. More rambling dialogue with her new "friends." Almost in spite of herself, Inferno manages to connect with the mall crowd, and the villainous "whatever it is" decides to stop her happiness before it can even get started good.
RTT rating . . . 6
by staylor104@aol.com
Well, there have been better Superboy issues. This one was trying to get you to feel sorry for him. It's like Johnny quest, Indiana Jones, and Superboy combined. He's feeling sorry for himself since he can't ever be an adult. He basically finds a city of lost kids on an unknown location. It was okay. It's just that Superboy never feels sorry for himself. He is always saving people, not moping around.
RTT rating . . . 6
by julian@azstarnet.com
Scorecard -- can't tell the players without a scorecard
Princess, er, rather the Goddess of Truth, Diana, a.k.a. Wonder Woman:
Diana, having succumbed to the fate Neron placed upon her has become a
goddess with a place amongst Olympus, thanks to the prayers of her
mother. Diana in her Wonder Woman days was Themiscrya's (Paradise
Island) ambassador to the world of man. There she preached
peace, and protected the innocent.
Artemis, a.k.a. Requiem, also an Amazon who for a short time was Wonder Woman, and died in that role. After being the bride of a demon, she regained a place amongst this mortal coil. She once again finds herself involved in the affairs Earth's heroes.
Cassandra Sandsmark, a.k.a. Wonder Girl. Cassie originally only had powers thanks to aftifacts of Diana's, but now she has powers within her, granted by Zeus himself.
Donna Troy, formally Wonder Girl, Troia, and a Darkstar. Donna was once one of Earth's great heroes and a member of the Titans. She had recently suffered the loss of her ex-husband and son in a car crash and broken off her relationship with Kyle Rayner (Green Lantern). She's drifted into the fold of Gateway City's heroes and has felt odd, as if she's gained something, but only time will tell.
Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Mother of Diana, and leader of the island of Themiscrya, about to take up her daughter's mantle in honor of her daughter and as penance for her broken laws, she herself instilled.
Helena Sandsmark: Diana's former boss and Cassie's mom. Helena is on a quest to save the man she loves, Jason Blood (the better half of the rhyming demon Etrigan).
Guest stars: Athena, Hera, Egg Fu, Jay and Joan Garrick, Etrigan, and Darkseid (?)
Nitty Gritty:
Diana, the Goddess of Truth, takes her place amongst Olympus and Athena and Hera help her aclimate herself. She learns that she cannot help her friends on Earth unless the pray to her for her intervention.
Cassie, Donna, and Artemis go to a carnival to invetigate something Cassie's friend George finds suspicious. They stumble upon a mysterious computer named "Egg Fu" that is much more than your normal computer. Upon investigating the computer and it's abductions of every 11th person that asks it a question, Donna and Artemis are captured. Donna thinks she sees the mastermind behind it all, Darkseid, but Darkseid is part of the source, isn't he? Well to save the day comes a mysterious figure claiming to be Wonder Woman.
In fact, it is Queen Hippolyta, who as penance for breaking Amazon law has taken up her daughter's mission, so Diana's remains (her costume) will find their proper burial.
Also in this issue, Helena is confronted by the demon Etrigan. Plus Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash, gets a serious feeling of deja vu, to set up an upcoming story in Wonder Woman, and a story that appeared in "Speed Force".
Overall:
I think John Byrne is great, but I also think he is over producing. For months Wonder Woman has had too much going on in every issue. The cast is too big, and each member seems to have their own story. Because this issue is zig-zagging between stories and setting up new one's it's boring and confusing, especially if you don't know everyone involved.
Byrne obviously loves to use Darkseid, in any way possible, but he's beginning to over use. I believe that writing, drawing, and, inking both "Wonder Woman" and "Jack Kirby's Fourth World" is taking it's toll on the stories. The stories need to be more simplified and explained. A major loss is his use of Cassie, Wonder Girl, who hasn't used her powers in six months. He's introduced us to this new young heroine, but she doesn't get to shine. Finally, I wish he would just give Donna her new powers already; it's dragged on too long.
Creative team: John Byrne, cubed. His art is some of the best you will ever see in comics, and it matches Wonder Woman and the Greek Gods wonderfully. His writing is usually good, but has lately been a disapointment with he varying sub-plots.
Current rank in my top 25: #17, and dropping, slowly
Grade for this issue: C+
Creator of Wonder Woman: WIlliam Moulton Marston
by Bill Fitzmaurice, bdfitz@bu.edu
Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston
scorecard:
Diana, Goddess of Truth
Wonder Woman, aka Queen Hippolyta
Requiem, aka Artemis
Wonder Girl, aka Cassandra Sandsmark
Donna Troy
Helena Sandsmark
guest stars:Athena, Hera, Egg Fu, Georgia, Metron, the Demon (Etrigan),and
Merlin
Nitty Gritty:
Diana gets in trouble with the other Gods because she interfered without
being prayed to by mortals. Also, she visited the mortal plane to convince
the Amazons and her mother to have Hippolyta continue Diana's
mission in man's world. Meanwhile on Earth, Hippolyta,
now as Wonder Woman rescues Donna from her predator by slicing
the guy's arm off, then she disintergrates the Darkseid hologram.
Georgia and Cassie learn that Egg Fu is a construct of the
New Gods which Mr. Miracle and Metron have had contact with before.
While Artemis mentally battles illusions she is physically fighting Donna, Hippolyta and Cassie, until Donna figures out her patterns and wakes her up. Georgia is able to pacify Egg Fu with her lap top, but how long could that last?
Meanwhile in a prologue, Helena Sandsmark is tortured by Etrigan the Demon, until Merlin arrives.
overall:
Not bad. Finally an almost cohesive tale from Byrne. Even
if there is a deus ex machina ending, yet actually mentioning
it in the story scored points here. Byrne's art is as always
great, he loves drawing gods of any kind. The story itself
was a little dull, but interesting to see Hippolyta swinging
a sword instead of Diana flicking of her wrists to deflect
bullets. Finally Cassie gets to use her powers, not against any
heavy duty tough guys though, but at least she got some practice.
Biggest gripe would be the needless losing of Donna's shirt.
We see her only in a bra for the majority of the story. Why?
To see how buff she is? All comic females are so why would
Donna be any different? Just give her some powers, Byrne.
team: John Byrne(words/pics/inks)
RTT rating. . . 5
current rank in my personal top 25: #21
bill fitzmaurice, bdfitz@bu.edu
and for another opinion . . .
Wonder Woman #129
by John Byrne
Beginnng with the cover, John Byrne has changed the font on the Wonder Woman title. I liked this because it makes a solid difference between the Diana Wonder Woman and the Hippolyta Wonder Woman. The cover is the best I've seen since Byrne started the book.
Harvest of Souls...the title of Wonder Woman #127 begins with the Goddess of Truth, Diana, being repremanded by the other gods of Olympus. Diana, even in her transformed and powerful state, still thinks like Wonder Woman. She needs to take on her new role as a goddess. However, Diana may be thinking that she never asked to become a goddess...why should she act like one. Perhaps she will bring about change.
The debut of the new Wonder Woman was very predictable. In #126, Donna Troy was in trouble. Cassie is off joking around, like usual. Artemis was comatose. Go figure Hippolyta would "attempt" a rescue!
Continuting into #127, Wonder Woman takes on a normal human being. This isn't fair: Donna points out rather boldly. After striking the hologram of Darkseid, Hippolyta falls quickly from the shock of electricity. Over all the years, hasn't Hippolyta learned that one should be cautious in a battle situation. Perhaps she was thinking about the mantle of Wonder Woman and not about being a warrior. Who are all these new characters being introduced. I'm sorry, but I'm sick of Cassie nosing around without a costume. If she is becoming Wonder Girl, she needs a costume! Who is her little black friend, Georgia?!?! Did Byrne need a computer expert, at age 13, to pull off this story? If you need to continue with these storylines that need new characters to solve the problems, then Byrne may be losing some readers. This is what happened to the Superman titles...too many characters. I would not leave because I'm a true Wonder Woman fan, but other readers less devoted to the amazing Amazon might leave...just a thought.
Donna Troy...when is Byrne going to make her true powers known? After reading the Genesis storyline, all readers know she has changed. Hippolyta finally showed her new powers, why not Troy? Personally, I believed Donna was due the mantle of Wonder Woman. She would carry one in Diana's name. However, Hippolyta was ordered to take the mantle. So what is Donna's reasons for hanging around in Gateway City then Mr. Byrne?
The idea of Egg Fu's return was very good. I like how Byrne is bringing back all the supervillians for Wonder Woman here in the present. I'm still waiting for Dr. Psycho and Wonder Man to return. I always liked his outfit!
Overall the story was okay, but Byrne needs to stop using Darkseid. If you overkill him to the readers, then it won't be that much of an impact during a critical storyline. The upcoming JSA crossover in Wonder Woman should be good, but is it going to take over the book for 4 issues or are we going to see our friends Donna and Artemis?
By the way, I hate the Demon and Hellena Sandsmark storyline...this needs to end right now. Who cares about this at all?
These are my views on Wonder Woman #127. If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please contact me at beta@netnitco.net
I still love Wonder Woman, but not what Byrne is doing to her...
Beta...
Impulse created by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo
scoreboard:
Impulse, aka Bart Allen is the granson of Barry Allen, the second Flash,
and the son of Don Allen and Meloni Thawne Allen. Bart was born in
the 30th Century, and his metabolism worked so quickly he
aged exponentially. Although he looks about fourteen, he is
in fact three. He came to the past with his grandmother, Iris Allen to get
the help of Wally West, the current Flash, to save Bart's life. After doing
so, Bart became the responsibility of Max Mercury (because
Wally doesn't do sidekicks).
Max, posing as Bart's uncle, moved with Bart to Manchester, Alabama. Here, Bart learns how to use his speed and live in the real world. In the future Bart was raised on Virtual Reality, so now he has to adapt to the real thing. Max Mercury, aka Max Crandall, aka the Zen Master of Speed. Max is Bart's guardian, posing as his uncle. As a favor to Wally he's training Bart in the use of his powers and the real world. Max has had many guises since he first received his speed from an Indian shaman in mid-nineteenth century America. First as Awehota ("Windrunner"), and later as Whip Whirlwind, Quicksilver, and then Max Mercury he has been a crimefighter in many decades. Several times Max has timejumped through the Speed Force, hence he looks only to be in his early fifties or so. During one of his timejumps Max fell in love with a married woman who was taking care of him after he sustained injuries. He later timejumped again, leaving the woman pregnant, with his daughter Helen.
Dr. Helen Claiborne is Max' daughter. She just recently learned this and accepted Max. Max and Bart now live with Helen. She is trying to establish a relationship with a man she once had romantic feelings for, only to learn he is her father.
Carol is Bart's best friend and sort of romantic interest, just don't tell him. Carol is the only person, besides Max and Helen, in Manchester that knows Bart is Impulse. Carol is easily the brains of the friendship. She lives with her older brother and two younger siblings, since her parents died.
Preston is Bart's other good friend. Preston is still trying to cope with why his mom beat him. He's progressing slowly but surely. Preston was the first person Bart was able to make friends with in Manchester.
guest stars:White Lightning, Edward Dunsunny-the Boss of Bosses(first appearance)
Nitty Gritty
White Lightning is hired by Edward Dunsunny-the Boss of Bosses, to scare
Carol and Preston. While at school a new social worker arrives named
Jasper Pierson to help the kids cope with all the violence which
has sprung up in Manchester (thanks to Bart, no doubt). Assistant
Principal Randall Sheridan gets a headache just at the thought.
Pierson gives some of the students the once over, messing
up their lives even more. Worse still, he discovers Bart has no birth certificate
or any legal documents to prove he exists.
Meanwhile, White Lightning causes havoc at the police station demanding the toxic waste dumpers be freed, but splits before freeing them. She later threatens Carol, so Bart decides to be preparred and comes up with a plan for when she threatens Preston. However, when White Lightning strikes, Jasper Pierson interferes, and throws a wrench in Bart's plan, until Max, discreetly pulls him out. With Pierson out of the way, Bart's plan saves the day.
Overall
The story has some really funny parts. The scenes with Pierson
talking to "Evil-Eye" and later Bart, are quite funny. So
is the scene where Max, finally after almost three years,
sets up some legitimate credentials for himself and Bart.
Plus the way Bart's plan so perfectly foils Lightning's plan is ingenious.
Loebs take on Bart is improving. He isn't Waid sadly, but
he's starting to get a feel for the characters. One thing I didn't
like was how he had Pierson mess up with the emotional stability
both Carol and Preston are building. Plus Pierson is essentially
taking over the roll Waid had given Sheridan. The cartoonish
feel of "Impulse"'s art is perfect for the comic (as in funny)
sensibilities of the book.
team: William Messner-Loebs(words), Craig Rousseau(pictures), Barbara Kaalberg(inks)
RTT rating. . . 7
rank in my personal top 25: #12, holding steady
bill fitzmaurice, bdfitz@bu.edu
Legionnaires #57 was a nice epilogue (sp?) to Legion of Super-Heroes #100. It slowed the pace a little while still using the threads set up in 100 as well as setting up the stories for the forseeable future.
*SPOILERS*
Braniac 5 leads a team of legionnaires to find M'onel while we also see how the Dark Circle's plans start to come together to destroy the U.P. I have followed the Legion for many years and am excited to see the Dark Circle, which has always been one of my favorite group of foes for the legion, again. Saturn Girl's confrontation with her mentor was also well written and gives us some more insight into her childhood. All in all, this issue gets 5 out of 5 stars for a great story and some really nice Moy art.
by grunt1@onslowonline.net
This was a really cool issue Superboy! After he got dumped by Tana, I thought this was going to go flat for a while. But man, what I wrong!!! Pick up this issue as a cool addition to this great story. Green Lantern guest stars! Pick up GL #94 -- this is the beginning of how they met. Well, the Fire Goddess Pele decides to make sacrifices of the two young heroes, and GL and SB are thrown into a volcano! GL barely saves them as he makes a huge and cool metal ball to pretect them. Buy this book.
RTT rating . . . 10
by Mark Steward (julian@azstarsnet.com)
It all starts when Max gives Bart a simple assignment. Try to make some friends at school. Easy, right? WRONG! Throughout the school day, Bart catches some bank robbers in France, eats lunch, and one-by-one inadvertanetly ticks off the entire student body on Manchester Junior High. By 3:00, everyone wants a piece of him. It all ends with Bart vs. everyone in a hilarious brawl on the football field.
This is, hands down, the best issue of Impulse EVER! Mark Waid and Humberto Ramos are in top form. The laughs are witty and non-stop. Even the cover will make you chuckle.
RTT rating . . . a big fat 10
by jatalley@iserv.net
This story is narrated throuw a letter Risk sends home to his mom. It starts off with the kids moving into their new digs, an apartment above a Metropolis video store. After that, Risk accidently hurts Prysms feelings and the Atomis paid a visit by his ex-wife. Then comes the action. Against Mr. Jupiter's orders, Omen transports the team to the Veil as the are attacked in #5. They're looking for info that will help shut the orginization down. What they find is a bomb! After a hasty retreat, the team chooses to head home. On the way, they pass through Colorado, and Risk decides it's time to tell his mom the truth about his birth. That scene is told without words, and is something EVERY comics fan should see.
Overall, a good self-contained issue. Major points to Dan for coming up with such a cool place for Titans HQ. The one thing that bugged me was how forced the incident at the Veil base was. I guess writers are still afraid to write a "no action " story.
RTT rating . . . 8.7
by jatalley@iserv.net
Impulse created by Waid and Wieringo
"Time out of Joint"
cast:
Impulse(Bart Allen), Max Mercury(Max Crandall), Dr. Helen Claiborne, Carol,
Preston
guests:
Julian Tremain, Bob, Professor Zoom, Gorilla Grodd
the gist:
Well, thanks to Bart killing that fly at the end of last issue, history has
been changed and Julian Tremain has become President-for-Life. In this new
time period, it is actually illegal to risk your own life! There has
also been no Flash. However, somehow there is Professor Zoom, who works
for President Tremain. However, there are a group of rebels trying to rub
out Tremain. To the surprise of Max and Bart, they're gorillas, led by Grodd,
the Flash's longtime foe. During all this chaos, the timestream is trying
to repair itself and as a result, the clothing and architecture are
continually changing. Eventually, all the humans devolve into apes, and Grodd
and the superapes turn into turtles. The timestream begins to loop back in
time where eventually Ape-Bart is back in the Devonian Age where he stops
human-Bart from killing the fly. Instantly, Bart is back in the fixed present
where he can solve the case of the falling Randall Sheridan. He's even threatened
by the nefarious Evil Eye (and he pulls Bart's hair). As an added bonus,
Tremain and Bob are now janitors in Bart's school. However, Bart's unhappy
that people keep pulling his hair and does something about it.
details:
Overall a good issue. It was fun to see the odd situations the new timeline
throws at Max and Bart. Plus Gorilla Grodd and his rebels seemed more like
Nick Fury and agents of SHIELD, except they're apes, and then turtles. President
Tremain has gotten his wish, but he doesn't seem so happy about it. One downside
is there is no explanation for Professor Zoom being in the faux-present.
It's mentioned that there has logically been no Flash since the general public
has no recollection of a Flash or superspeed. Therefore, if there was no
Flash, how could there be a Professor Zoom? Probably the best point would
be seeing Max and Bart as apes in different get-ups from throughout history.
But nothing will prepare you for shocker in the last panel.
RTT Rating. . . 7.5
Impulse credits:
words-Bill Messner-Loebs, pencils-Craig Rousseau, inks-Barbara Kaalberg
bill fitzmaurice
bdfitz@bu.edu
A robbery in Gotham has Robin tracking the main suspect, a mysterious woman named Mystral, to a ski resort in Virgina. There, as Tim Drake, he runs into Bart Allen who is on a class trip. The two, in thier hero identies, quickly team-up to search for Mystral. What they find is a plot by some militia men and a ex-KGB agent that could destroy the world! Can Robin and Impulse save the day? And what part does Mystral play in all this?
Good story by Waid/Augustyn and strong art by John Royle make this a real gem of a book. Everyone is in correct character and there are a lot of fun moments like seeing the Robin/Impulse supporting cast mix. My only complaints are the lackluster coloring and the way the mystery of Mystral hasn't been followed up in either Robin or Impulse.
Rating:8.3
jatalley@iserv.net
Batter up! Bart joins his school's softball team. The problem is he's never played the game before. Prepare for hilarity. Also, see Bart's first kiss!
Another great Waid, Ramos, and Faucher issue. A simple, fun, story with a bit of character development. What more could you want?
Rating:8.8
jatalley@iserv.net
Ever wonder what Bart dreams about? You'll find out here!
Waid. Ramos. 'Nuff said. This is a funny, weird, and at times, poignant look inside Bart's mind.
Rating 8.5
jatalley@iserv.net
Max Mercury's old friend Zatanna is in town and decides to let Bart assist her during her magic show. Big mistake! After Bart messes up all her tricks, a frustrated Zatanna accidently zaps Bart to the mystical realm of Kroz.
She sets off to rescue Bart, only to find that her magic doesn't work in Kroz, and she is quickly captured by the local evil wizard. Can you say Impulse to the rescue?
This is one of Waid and Ramos' best issues ever! Great story, funny art, and a cool guest star to boot. Look in the audience during the magic show to see some surprising faces.
Rating: 9.5
by jatalley@iserv.net
Damage head to a space station to try to find the truth about his parents. There he discovers that the man with the answers is ... Vandal Savage, a long-time foe of the JLA!
A great issue to grab if you're unfamiliar with the character of Damage. There are also a bunch of cameos by members of the JSA and JLA. Even cooler is the fact that this issue has one of the few photo-covers DC has done. You have to see it to believe it.
RTT rating ... 9.1
by jatalley@iserv.net
Legion of Super-Heroes: Secret Files #1
This book has a recap of the group's origin, a guided tour of the Legion Outpost, a timeline, and more.
WOW! The people behind this (like the Legion, there are too many to name) did a great job. This book is a fun treat for LoSH veterans and a good guide for new fans.
RTT rating ... 9.4
by jatalley@iserv.net
The magic is back! More specifically, Karl Kessel and Tom Grummet have returned to Superboy in a big way.
The 4-part story starts out with a long-haired, healthy-looking Superboy in rags being chased by a party of half-man, half-animal Robin-Hood-esque hunters out by an abandoned building in the wilds of some forest. Pretty soon, it becomes apparent that Superboy is suffering from a bad case of amnesia and can hardly speak, let alone remember how to use his powers. At any rate, he gets captured by the band of hunters (who are led by a tiger-man called Prince Tuftan) and brought back in chains to a medieval city filled with animal-beings. There, in the courtyard before the palace, he is presented to their leader, the Caesar, and we learn that some humans do exist in this strange world, but are "disease-ridden" and are treated like animals. In fact, the Prince Tuftan states that he wants to domesticate Superboy and present him as a pet to his lady love (who is introduced as "Tawna") Just then, a cart is pulled into the same courtyard by 4 humans, and the occupant sitting in it is revealed as a giant snake named "Sacker" Sacker then claims that he found Superboy and is therefore his property, as evidenced by the pendant around SB's neck (Which is a bit of a take on the classic S-shield, with the S looking more snake-like). Prince Tuftan is reluctant to return Superboy, and instead makes a trade with the snake: The boy for an "ancient device" (which is actually an old television set). This upsets the king's researcher, a dog-man called Canus, and while the rest of the town is celebrating the capture, he goes off and complains to his secret ally, a bat-lady called Nosferata (who, it looks like, will be set up as the story arc's main villain) who decides to strike at the Caesar while his guard is down during the festivities. Back at the town, all the animal-people are gathered in the local tavern, drinking mead and recalling old adventures. At the palace, Superboy has been chained to a wall, and the Caesar is about to set a food dish down for SB when he suddenly gets attacked by a gorilla named "Killa" who seems to be one of Nosferata's allies. Just as Killa is about to kill the Caesar, SuperBoy goes berzerk and rips his chains out of the wall. He and Killa proceed to fight, with Killa getting the upperhand and throwing SuperBoy into a fountain. The cool water seems to re-energize Superboy, who finally utters his first words in the comic ("Keep your paws off me, you stinking ape!") and hits Killa with such a powerful punch that it sends the primate flying and into a brick wall. This interupts the festivities, and everyone rushes to the palace, where the Caesar informs the populace of the Kid's heroic actions. Everyone begins to whisper that SB is the legendary "Mighty One" and the Caesar determines that the only way for them to find out is for him to take something ominously called "The Test" (which will happen in the next issue).
This book rocked, simply because the dream team has returned. The writing was excellent and the art was fantastic! As well, it's pretty apparent that Superboy is going to be going through some radical changes, and with Kesel at the helm, you know that they will be cool. This is an excellent chance for new readers to jump aboard. I must say, I haven't felt this enthused about the Superboy comic in a long time. It'll be interesting to see how this story arc resolves itself.
Rating: 9.5
by tabols