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Adventure Comics #9

[Original Numbering: #512]

Scheduled to arrive in stores: March 31, 2010

Cover date: Late May 2010

"Superman: Last Stand on New Krypton": Part Four - "Namesake"

Writer: James Robinson
Penciller: Travis Moore
Inker: Julio Ferreira

"Unity"

Writer: Sterling Gates
Penciller: Eduardo Pansica
Inker: Eber Ferreria

"Awake - Part 2"

Writer: Eric Trautman
Penciller: Pier Gallo
Inker: Pier Gallo

Reviewed by: Michael Bailey

Click to enlarge

"Namesake"

With the universe ending around them the Legion look to Brainiac 5 for answers. As he contemplates what to do next he once again muses on his namesakes. Finally Brainy is able to travel through time thanks to the combined energy and speed powers of the Legion and he swears that they will meet again.

Story - 3: With the exception of "Awake - Part 2" I didn't get a whole lot out of this issue. It wasn't that the stories were bad or that the writing and art was sub-par because they weren't. My problem came from the fact that the "Namesake" and "Unity" were short scenes from a larger story and while they fit right into the overall "Last Stand of New Krypton" arc they were kind of jarring as individual stories. I'm sure they will flow better once they are collected into a hardcover or trade but in the single issue form they weren't all that satisfying.

Despite the feelings I mentioned above Robinson packed a lot into this one. I enjoyed reading about how Brainiac 5 feels about his ancestors and father and liked the bits of continuity Robinson dropped into the inner dialogue. I was especially taken with the, "Long live the Legion," bit at the end and thought this was a very strong way to end the story.

"Unity"

Superboy is frustrated by the fact that the Kryptonians cannot rise above their prejudices and band together to fight against Brainiac. With the help of Supergirl the Legionnaire known as Tellus-Ganglios is able to telepathically eliminate that prejudice in a group of the Kryptonians, who might be of use to Superboy, Supergirl and the rest of the Legion. Tellus explains that he is unable to unite all of the Kryptonians leading Superboy to rally everyone together to get back to their original mission to save the other bottled cities Brainiac has captive.

Story - 2: There were some good moments in this story. Seeing more of how messed up and dysfunctional the Kryptonians are was neat because it reinforces the point that while these guys and gals can fly and vaporize us with those neat laser things that come out of their eyes they are not really any better than us. So that was cool. The main problem I have with "Unity" is that the whole point of this story was, "Hey, those Kryptonians need to work together and Tellus can manipulate some of their minds to get them to overcome their prejudices but he can't get them all so let's get back to our original mission." It felt more like a diversion than a story.

Still, I like Sterling Gates though. That hasn't changed at all.

Art - 3: The art was solid in both of these stories but I had the same problem with both, which was that the art was too big and flashy. This is becoming more common in the few new comics I continue to read. We're getting the dramatic, widescreen shot on nearly every page, which is kind of cool if you like looking at all of the little details that the artists throw in but I am more of a story guy so it just makes the issue fly by in terms of how long it takes me to read the story. So the art wasn't bad and quite good in some cases, like the flashbacks to the various Brainiacs through history. Still, it wasn't really my cup of tea.

"Awake - Part 2"

From the Tactical Operations Center Office Romundi, secretly the Kryptonian sleeper agent Car-Vex, watches as General Lane's men plant a bacterial tracker on Quex-Ul and then finally attack and kill the Kryptonian. Car-Vex is conflicted because Quex was the first one to show her kindness in the Phantom Zone. Her mission, though, is more important than her feelings and manages to maintain some composure, which General Lane chalks up to her being conflicted about the transition from cop to soldier.

Story - 5: Hands down this was the strongest story of the issue. Eric Trautman is able to do a lot with the limited space he is given. This story is similar to the first one in that it is a continuation from the previous issue but there is a lot more meat here and a lot more to get emotionally invested in. I felt for Car-Vex and the situation she is in. I kind of wish that we would have gotten more of this in the issue but the pacing was so good I didn't want anything to be changed.

Art - 5: The art, like the writing, was tight and didn't miss a beat. It had a cold, militaristic feel to it, which I absolutely loved because it fit the story Trautman was telling. I have absolutely no complaints for this one.

Cover Art - 4: I like this cover. It makes me laugh actually because Superboy looks like he is checking out one of the female members of the Legion while Supergirl has this look of shock and awe on her face. It's a little disjointed but at the same time the art is strong so I dig it.

Variant Cover Art - 2: I am not a big fan of this one. First, Superman is the main focus of the cover and he really isn't in this issue. Second I am getting more and more frustrated with the variant covers to EVERY issue of this title. If this was a special issue of ADVENTURE COMICS that would be one thing but I just don't see the point to them anymore. It's kind of cool that they are keeping the old numbering from the previous series but why not just re-number the main cover and get it over with?

Mild Mannered Reviews

2010

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Mild Mannered Reviews - Regular Superman Comics

Adventure Comics #9

Mild Mannered Reviews

2010

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