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Review: Adventure Comics #12

A simple story that's simply appealing.


No Caption Provided
Superboy plays hooky in the most fantastic way possible by spending a day with the Legion of Superheroes.
 

The Good

You know, I couldn't help but smile like a goof after reading this. It's a really simple story about Superboy just having fun with his super-friends in the future, going through a short checklist of things he's always wanted to do in the present, but couldn't because of his superpowers. Of course, in a future where practically everybody's super-powered, he's free to finally to enjoy simple pleasures like playing baseball, having fun a party or kissing without his glasses on (the meaning of that actually plays out rather amusingly in a cute scene with Phantom Girl.) This fits in with some of the best annual or one-shot stories, like the classic zero issue from Mark Waid's Flash run - - shorts that are more like good children's books in how they focus on simple, quiet incidents in these superhero's lives. Even though a story like this doesn't have Earth-shattering stakes or intense drama, it's still very appealing. You can't help but feel like a kid again, yourself, after following Superboy's small "coming of age" incidents here, and Sharpe's clear, crisp works adds to that pleasant mood.

The Bad 
It's a specific nitpick, but the big panel introducing Superboy's baseball game with the Legion stuck out as looking a little under-rendered. The inks didn't quite mesh with the grass pattern for the field and Superboy even looks like he's fused into his baseball bat.

The Verdict - 4/5

There seem to have been a lot of Legion stories lately and I'd say this was definitely the best of the ones I've read so far. It's got charm and innocence without feeling like a dated throwback. Now that the focus in this title has shifted to the original Superboy, I hope this team continues to tell stories like this.