Review: Superboy Vol. 5- Paradox

Quick Summary

Pros: The volume starts out with an interesting story. The art looks good throughout the book.

Cons: The volume’s second half is not enjoyable and retroactively harms the opening chapters. The volume has a major shift in character motivation that feels completely unnatural. The second half of the book is more complex than necessary.

Overall: The last volume in this Superboy series fails to develop any significant positives before the conclusion of the series. It starts out well, with a unique take on an evil version of Superboy. However, these good vibes sour quickly as the volume descends into a mess of motivation and narrative. Those looking for a Superboy story unlike most others may be interested in this book, but those looking for a generally good story may want to look elsewhere.

Story

Superboy Vol. 5: Paradox is a major shakeup for the series that starts out with a bit of promise near the beginning but ends up disappointing by the end. The major problems here come from the book’s second half, where random character changes and an overly complicated plotline make it hard to become invested in the storytelling. Even on its own, this volume is riddled with internal inconsistencies and problems that need to be addressed. The only redeeming quality here is the unique take on Superboy that the volume’s opening chapters present, yet even this is retroactively damaged by portions of the volume’s second half.

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The biggest positives in Paradox come from Jonathan Lane Kent, the new version of Superboy that this volume follows. Writer Marv Wolfman starts out by depicting this Superboy as a cunning sociopath, whose only goal is the destruction of all metahumans. Watching him con his new friends and work his way toward his nefarious goals is an interesting experience that is surprisingly entertaining.

However, the volume takes a sharp turn for the worse when Superboy returns to the past. At this point, Superboy’s entire worldview is radically changed over the course of a few quick pages. Writer Aaron Kuder has Superboy go from a deranged sociopath to a reluctant hero after just spending a day or two with some good people. It is an unbelievable shift in the character that feels completely inorganic to the story being told. In addition, Superboy and his alternate version randomly develop new powers that have never been demonstrated in this series at all. I found it hard to connect with Superboy’s character after this point, as his new identity was such a sudden shift that it took me out of the story for a while.

This personality change also radically alters the course of the book and essentially drops everything that happened previously. All of Superboy’s work in the future is made irrelevant, and any plans he had there come to a screeching halt. This leaves plot threads involving Harvest and a number of minor characters frustratingly incomplete. These plot threads are swapped out in favor of focusing on an overly complex narrative that brings alternate dimensions into a story already mired by complex time travel shenanigans. By invalidating the first half of the book, this second half retroactively damages the best part of this collection.

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Art

The first half of Paradox has artwork that primarily comes from the combined forces of Andres Guinaldo, Mark Irwin, Tanya Horie, and Richard Horie. This portion of the collection looks nice, as Guinaldo’s pencils give the characters a youthful look and a nice level of detail. However, the tone of the artwork does not match the tone of the writing, as the writing focuses on dark feats of betrayal and deception while the art looks like a colorful romp through the future.

The second half of the volume features more visually pleasing artwork with a better adherence to the story’s tone. Jorge Jiménez does a fantastic job in presenting the more heroic Superboy seen in this portion of the story. His work here is crisp, clean, and creative in a way that looks visually pleasing the entire way through. Overall, the artwork in Paradox has a much higher level of quality than the storytelling.

Continuity

Superboy Vol. 5: Paradox continues elements from Superboy Vol. 4: Blood and Steel (Review) and from Teen Titans Vol. 5: The Trial of Kid Flash (Review).

The Superboy series ends with this volume. However, Superboy’s story somewhat continues in Supergirl Vol. 5: The Crucible and then later on in Teen Titans Vol. 2: Rogue Targets (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• The Teen Titans role in the future is further explored through Teen Titans Vol. 5: The Trial of Kid Flash (Review).
• Raven’s duplicitous nature is first revealed at the conclusion of Teen Titans Vol. 4: Light and Dark (Review).
• A new screen in New York City shows Superman and Wonder Woman’s first kiss, which occurred in Justice League Vol. 2: The Villain’s Journey (Review).