The Exile’s Read of the Week

SUPERBOY #5

Story: Jeff Lemire
Art: Pier Gallo
Cover: Eddy Barrows, JP Mayer & Grant
Alternate Cover: Francis Manapul
Publisher: DC

A $2.99 Comic

It has been a particularly good week for comics, and picking a Read of the Week was a difficult one; Unlike the past couple of weeks,there was no one book that jumped out as a clear choice for me. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t the race (and I do love a good Flash/Superman race) that made this book my favorite this week. It’s when Bart and Connor slowed down and talked to each other, in a way that only best friends can. Jeff Lemire grounds his Superboy stories in a real “Heartland” way. Lemire knows small town. (He is the writer of The Essex County Trilogy) In fact when it was announced that he was going to be writing this new Superboy book, I was a little worried. He didn’t strike me as a superhero genre writer. But so far he’s developing a real tight-knit community, both for Smallville and for Connor. It’s hard to believe this is same character that showed up wearing that leather jacket, sunglasses and hoop earring, and that fade cut? Was that really what was cool in the 90′s (I wasn’t cool back then either, so I wouldn’t know).   It’s tricky telling a compelling story where the main action all takes place faster than thought, but in this issue the pacing seemed spot on. A great blend of super speed action, counter pointed by two friends taking a moment to just talk about what’s on their minds, with just enough uncertain of what lies ahead for the Boy of Steel.

Perfectly paired with Lemire’s words is Pier Gallo’s artwork. His teenagers look like teenagers; and they sound like teens too. He captures the fluidity of movement you would expect from super speed. You almost feel the breeze go by you as they race around the world. Kudos to colorist, Jamie Grant. The race circled the world, and every location they went to had a different feel to it. Warm, cool, day, night, all keenly established with color.

I am not sure if I will like where everything that Lemire has set in motion in the long run, but this issue showed a creative team hitting its stride.