Convergence: Superboy #1 (2015) Review

Big Shoes To Fill

Written By: Fabian Nicieza
Art By: Karl Moline, Jose Marzan Jr., Hi-Fi
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 15, 2015

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Oh man, the Metropolis Kid is back in this Zero Hour story where we get our young Superboy back with his cocky attitude and his badass hair.......... Yeah, it's not fashionable now but back in the '90s.......... well, it wasn't that cool then either but I loved it.  Not a lot to say for this recap section except for getting ready to see Superboy back when he was arrogant as hell and dealing with a Superman complex.  Let's check it out.

Explain It!:

Our issue begins in Cadmus Labs where Dubbilex and Serling Roquette have spent the last ten months trying to activate Superboy's powers, that is when they aren't working on bringing down The Dome.  After all that time of bombarding Kon with solar radiation, his powers are still dormant and Kon leaves the lab in a huff because after living in The Dome for a year, he's twitching to stretch his super-powered legs a bit and step into the light as the city's Superman, like he thought he was before The Dome went up.  After taking a stroll through Metropolis, clearing his head, Kon finds himself in front of the Superman monument in the park, where he's reminded of all the good that Superman did by an elderly couple that Superman saved from Parasite at some point in the past and it's at that point during his personal reflection that the Dome comes down and Kon feels that old super-powered feeling.

At first, Kon simply flies around letting his presence be known to the people of Metropolis when he spots a speedster he believes to be Wally West.  After following who he believes to be a friend to the abandoned Hell's Gate Island, he finds out that it was all a trap to get him away from the populace.  Red Robin throws a kryptonite gas grenade Superboy's way and after briefly getting his ass whooped while trying to get his bearings, Kon uses some tactile telekinesis to take down the Kingdom Come Flash and Red Robin.  This part of the story is really cool because while we get full exposure to the Zero Hour Metropolis like we'll get throughout the rest of the titles this week since Dubbilex's telepathy powers have returned as well, we get a chance to understand the Kingdom Come characters through his explaining what he's reading in their minds.  Older, more experienced heroes and how they don't have the patience for Kon's arrogance and recklessness.  I just really appreciated the dual exposition we got here because it's something that we haven't really gotten to see in other books.

In the end, after Kon has taken care of Flash and Red Robin, he's confronted by the Kingdom Come Superman who tells him that in order to save both Metropolises, Kon is going to have to take a dive and if he's really Superman like he believes himself to be; then he shouldn't have to think twice about it.  Our issue ends with Superboy smirking because he intends to show this doppelganger just how much of a Superman he is.

That's it for this issue of Convergence: Superboy and man did I have a good time reading this issue.  Fabian Nicieza went above and beyond in this issue not only letting us in on who Kon was during Zero Hour but how he is now after living in the Dome after a year.  If that wasn't enough he was even able to give us great insights into the characters of Kingdom Come and how they think.  That just might be something that you think is par for the course but you won't find this much attention given in other titles to make sure that the reader knows everything that's going on in the book they're reading.  Really this is one of the best issues that I've read in Convergence and it's not only because of the story, everything from the pencils to the inks to the colors was just rocking in this book.  If you're a fan of Superboy or curious about how he was in the 90's you should definitely be getting this book. I just wish that the rules of the Convergence battle royal were explained because in each different title it seems that heroes are chosen or they just do their things and start a ruckus.

Bits and Pieces:

This issue accomplishes what not a lot of other Convergence titles are able to do.  It gives you a complete picture of everything that's going on from the Zero Hour Metropolis to the Kingdom Come Metropolis and even what Kon was feeling before the Dome and a year after.  The writing just rocks and it's accompanied with excellent art all the way through.  Definitely a book that I would recommend to anyone that has ever had an interest in Superboy.

9/10