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I too got the 8C trade from the library and really enjoyed it. There's a lot of issues with the series, and the conclusion doesn't quite match up to the huge, well executed, buildup we had early in the series, but it still hits that part of me that just loves an unbelievably huge superhero series. I think it's a worthy sequel to Crisis, even if the characterization of Luthor and Superboy doesn't quite match with our last visits with them.
However, I'm surprised that nobody earlier pointed out what jumped out at me during the Superboy rampage chapter, the fact that Superboy Prime is George W. Bush. Struggling to live up to his 'father''s legacy, he constantly talks about how disgusted he is with the corrupt, morally depraved world his successors have left them with. Does Monica's jizz stained dress not stand alongside the Batman mindwipe or the Sue Dibny killing?
And, despite harping on about how moral he is, it's all done while tearing people apart, literally in Superboy's case. That's how I imagine George Bush in Iraq, killing all these people and wondering why they don't like the freedom he's bringing. This of course leaves Alex Luthor as Dick Cheney, the power behind the throne, secretly working to reshape the world to his image of perfection.
And, earlier in the thread there was talk about how this book was pushing far away from a mainstream audience. I think that's certainly true, but at the same time, as a kid, I would have absolutely loved this book. The huge stakes, massive violence and overall dark tone were all things I loved. Contrary to what adults want to think, a lot of kids, the ones who are most likely to read comics at least, love dark stories. Or at least I did, Empire Strikes Back was always my favorite Star Wars, and this hits that same place. Yeah, they'll have no clue what's going on, but I think kids will dig this more than Teen Titans Go or Cartoon Adventures or whatever books are actually targetted at them. It's just the parents that will have the issues. |
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