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Mild Mannered Reviews - Superboy Comics

Superboy #32

Scheduled to arrive in stores: June 11, 2013

Cover date: August 2014

"Happenings"

Writer: Aaron Kuder
Penciller: Jorge Jimenez
Inker: Jorge Jimenez
Cover: Karl Kerschl & Michael Atiyeh

Reviewed by: Adam Dechanel

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Parasite is screaming threats of revenge after having his limbs torn off by Jon. The STAR team are cleaning up the mess while Superboy stands in silence as Parasite is packed back into storage. Jon breaks his silence by talking to the ghost of Kon-El and reveals to the team that Kon (or at least a version snatched from time) is being held captive in a N.O.W.H.E.R.E facility and the team minus Dr. Grey agree to help him reunite with his namesake. Niti kisses a mopey Jon and the kiss raises his spirits (perhaps from her own secret powers?) Regardless, the team are en route to Alaska where N.O.W.H.E.R.E are preparing for them after detecting the STAR aircraft approaching.

From The Fridge, three of N.O.W.H.E.R.E's toughest soldiers are awoken from suspended animation. Leash, Hammersmith and Rose Wilson. As the STAR team head in to the facility they find the red lit corridors eerily empty with only Kon's telepathic messages guiding them lower and lower into the Alaskan base. The team are attacked by Rose and her soldiers and Superboy struggles to fight them off as they mistake him for an escaped Kon-El. Rose uses a sword to cut in to Jon's eye and he retaliates by sending her crashing through the facility walls. As Leash and Hammersmith attack Guardian and Niti, Superboy races forward and sends the soldier duo out of the base and hurtling skyward.

Jon leaves the team to recuperate and races towards Kon's body in the lowest levels. Suddenly everything feels wrong and Jon realizes this Kon-El is wearing his suit from the future while Jon is in his biosuit. He reads his memory and sees Kon's last thoughts and finds that he is being made, against his will, to join with Kon-El. Despite trying to pull away they make a TTK connection and an explosion occurs.

Back in New York Aya and Dr. Grey watch their instruments soar off the charts and try to figure out what Jon has done. Aya theorizes that some kind of temporal shell has surrounded The Fridge. A good theory as Jon and Kon have pulled Superboys from across the multiverse timelines to one place and almost in a hive mind they are all calling out... "What the hell?"

To Be Continued...

Story - 5: This is what we should have had all along. The sudden change in storyline, the faster pace, the characterizations. The feeling that the writer actually enjoys writing the character and making it enjoyable for the reader.�Aaron Kuder has made me enjoy the Teen of Steel all over again and I hope a relaunch with this new direction is not far off after issue #34's finale. It's strange that severing ties to the last long running storyline has made the title fresher and more vibrant.

It was good to see Rose Wilson again and Superboy making short work of her after poor treatment of him in the past. Second stringers Leash and Hammersmith are dealt the beating they deserve and Superboy, in actions and not excessive internal monologue, displays a determined and endearing personality.

It has been a turbulent few years but the finale story seems to have Superboy well and truly on track - I would like Kuder to stay on!

I like the concept of The Fridge and hope it's not forgotten, as who knows what it could be hiding that Harvest has kept for a 'rainy day'.

In many ways the writing style is evocative of Dan Slott or Erik Larsen and that is a good thing.

Art - 5: I've gotten used to the stylistics of the art now as the storyline begins to grow. The flitting of anime-esque and the normal art is becoming seamless. The action scenes burst with energy and drama while the character driven scenes don't fall into a 'boring' filler category at all. Jimenez is one to watch!

Cover Art - 5: Kerschl and Atiyeh deliver a fantastic cover, bold, brash and eye-catching, only hinting at themes inside. A refreshing change from recent months and it will now be my new cellphone wallpaper!