Throwback Thursday: Convergence: Superboy #2 Review (2015)

Growing Up

Written By: Fabian Nicieza
Art By: Karl Moline, Jose Marzan Jr., Hi-Fi
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 13, 2015

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

I love the hell out of the Metropolis Kid and while his arrogance and attitude can get a little annoying at times, it's all a part of the character that I love.  There's something about young heroes trying to step up and do the right thing that really draws me in and after reading last month's issue, I was just reminded all over again about how much I love this character and how brash he once was.......... Yeah, he's still pretty brash now, but in the 90's he was all attitude!  So in the last issue, we had our Teen of Steel all upset that he'll never get the chance to be Superman because he's trapped under a dome that stole his powers, but after the dome vanished, he costumed up and was ready to make his mark on Convergence.  The only problem was, he was up against the Kingdom Come Superman, who just wanted Superboy to give up so that they could save both their cities.  Let's see if Superboy's down with the plan, or if he makes Superman work for the win.  Let's check it out.

Explain It!:

Let me just start out by saying that one of the best things that the first issue had and really grabbed me right away was that it had a telepath narrating the issue and here it continues and just adds so much to the story that no other Convergence title has going for it.  We get the insights of the telepath character Dubbilex, who also gives us insights on the state of mind of our hero Superboy and the invading Kingdom Come characters.  Really, this whole story is told through him and we just see the action as Dubbilex tries to determine what the end will be.  So yeah, at the end of the last issue, Kingdom Come Superman tells Kon, that in order to save both cities, Kon will have to surrender............ and of course he doesn't.  Superman and Superboy fight throughout Metropolis, while the Kingdom Come Flash and Red Robin try to save everyone in their path of destruction.  Really, the only thing that Superman is trying to do is to calm Superboy down enough so that they can talk this through and Superboy is so anxious that he won't cut it as the city's protector that he won't back down for a second because it could mean it's destruction.  The headstrong characteristic of Superboy is one of the biggest things that make this one of my favorite characters but like usual, it mostly leads to his downfall.

So after a big rough and tumble battle, Superman continues to try and calm Kon down long enough to talk, but man does Supes not get the idea that Kon doesn't like being called "boy" and the fight continues to escalate and Dr. Sterling Roquette and Dubbilex simulate what kind of damage Metropolis is looking at from Superboy "saving" it............ and it looks like the whole city will be demolished in less than thirty minutes.  Eventually the fight leads to Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen watching and Kingdom Come Superman seeing the woman that he loved and lost over a decade earlier, but Superboy isn't ready to call it quits and chucks a piece of asphalt at Superman, where it breaks off and a piece strikes Lois in the head.  Superman quickly calls in Flash to get her to the hospital and then we have a "Oh Shit" moment when Superman turns his attention to Kon.

In the end, our worries about Superman tearing Superboy apart are simmered as Superman uses this time to try and get Superboy to understand that if he surrenders they might be able to figure out what's happening to them and stop it........... You know, because Kingdom Come are better prepared in figuring things out..........because they aren't arrogant teenagers.  After Dubbilex telepathically asks Kon, what would Superman do, Kon agrees to take a fall and Superman seems like he lets out that pent up aggression he had when Lois got hurt out on our Teen of Steel because man does it look painful.  As our issue closes, Red Robin looks over the knocked out Superboy and says that he doesn't think he'd ever have had the courage to do what Kon just did at his age and ends by calling him Superman. 

That's it for this issue of Convergence: Superboy and while this issue ends like there should be a third issue to the story, it was just so great from beginning to end.  Like I said in the beginning, we get so much more story due to Dubbilex narrating this tale and at many times I got chills at how beautiful this story was written.  So yeah, we get a ton of action and a ton of emotion.......... top notch!  Fabian Nicieza has been killing the books he's been on during this event and this title just might be the best he's offered us and I'm kind of pissed that we won't see more of it.  Hopefully, the main Convergence title picks up with this story because Fabian has really got me caring about these characters and I just need more.  With all this story going on, who would have imagined that it could have excellent art too?  Seriously, this is one of the best looking and well-written stories that Convergence has to offer and I suggest everyone should be reading it.

Bits and Pieces:

Who loves 90's Superboy?  Well, after reading this story, probably everyone does because this issue gets you inside the mind of not only our hero but into the minds of the invading city.  With beautiful art throughout and a conclusion that will give any Superboy fan chills of satisfaction, this is one of the best titles that Convergence has to offer.

9.5/10