Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow #4 // Review
The enemy they’re facing wears an infinity symbol on his chest. He’s just taken out an entire planet, and every one of his hits hurts like hell...for a Kryptonian. It’s a hell of an enemy that has revealed itself, and it's only the third page of Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow #4. Writer Kenny Porter continues an exploration into action with artist/writer Jahnoy Lindsay. Porter’s nimble narrative style enhances the metabolism saving what could have been an otherwise generally dull superhero slugfest. There ARE interesting moments here or there in the course of the story, but it’s really Porter’s narrative style that saves the issue from being anything other than another tedious fight between superpowers.
The enemy in question is actually called Infinity. Superboy and his ally Travis are going to have a hell of a time keeping it from leaving the planet, but they can’t exactly afford to let it do so. Superboy and Travis are going to need to work together if they’re going to defeat the enemy, but even if they can...kill Infinity, they’re going to have to face the consequences of doing so. And there’s actually a pretty good chance that Travis is willing to do things that Superboy finds immoral. How much empathy is lost in saving the day?
Narratively speaking, things don’t really get interesting until a Green Lantern shows up. Prior to that, it’s just the same themes that have been rolling through superhero comics since the dawn of the Silver Age. It’s something about great power and great responsibility. It’s something about what exactly it means to do the right thing. When Porter throws in the question of greater authority, he’s really showing that there’s a greater law that even heroes have to follow in the DC Universe. That and some of Porter’s sharply-written dialogue and narration make the fourth issue of the series worth reading.
Lindsay moves action across the page with a kind of swift percussion. At times, it feels pleasantly overwhelming. There are times when the composition of individual panels feels a bit too perfectly staged or symmetrical, but the overall feel of the action hits the page quite well. Tighter shots are generally used for more intense dramatic moments. Lindsay has a very powerful grasp of how to use color to create added resolution to the tension playing across the hero’s face at key moments in the issue.
The casual brutality at the end of the issue is a bit intense. It’s understandable, though, given the fact that it’s the end of the fourth issue of a six-issue mini-series. Porter has to end Act Two with a big hit to the hero that will be completely resolved by the end of Act Three in issue #6. There’s a death in this issue, though, that hits like a hammer and almost seems to come out of nowhere. Porter didn’t have to do that, but the effect is actually really impressive. Lindsay does such a brilliant job of framing that death. It’s a powerful moment that serves as one of the more powerful single events in the series thus far.
