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By Koppy McFad
December 13, 2009 - 03:06
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The Black Lantern zombies go after Superboy-Prime and in order to drive him even further into a frenzy, they take him to the offices of DC Comics so he can take revenge on the writers and editors who have made his life hell.
Despite numerous in-jokes and the scenes set at DC Comics, this is a serious issue. The DC Comics staffers run in terror like real people when costumed creatures come smashing through their walls. They also look and dress like real people so don't expect to see Geoff Johns dressing in a two-sizes-too-small Green Lantern costume.
Amazingly, the creative team actually drum up some sympathy for Superboy-Prime, a character that DC Comics has taken pains to turn into a whiny, unsympathetic jerk. Despite his numerous murders, the writers let us see how the character could actually be a victim, used and manipulated by writers and artists who see him as just another two-bit villain to be trotted out when they need a fight scene. His cries to the writers that what they are doing has real consequences in some other universe are both moving and hilarious. It makes it sound like no writer can show his characters suffering or he will be guilty of some crime.
The art also captures Superboy-Prime's character and his plight quite well and makes it easier to believe that superheroes could actually cross over into our world. The scenes of the DC staff are especially good: they make them all recognizably real people but don't turn them into caricatures so that they fit into the story seamlessly .
The back-up story with the Kon-El Superboy is something of a let-down after the high-octane main feature. But it does have its own clever twists and turns, such as Superboy solving a problem with brains and compassion rather than force. The art is improving but is still a bit rough for what should be a slick, highly-polished Superboy feature.
Rating: 8 /10
