Reviewer: Mathan “High School Was Never This Awkward†Erhardt
Story Title: Where’s My $#%&ing Cheerios?
Written by: Kelley Puckett
Penciled and Inked by: Warren Pleese
Lettered by: Pat Brosseau
Colored by: Wendy Broome
Editor: Matt Idelson
Publisher: DC Focus/DC Comics
The issue begins with Tom not only testing out his powers but also trying out superhero names. Then he flashes back to when he discovered that he couldn’t fly, the hard way (as though there were an easy way to find out you can’t fly.) He arrives home way past his curfew, expecting his doting mother to be waiting for him. But he instead finds her fast asleep in bed.
He wakes up the next morning to find his mother hasn’t made breakfast. He throws a tirade about rebellion, only to find there’s nothing to rebel against. In fact his mom plans to keep him out of her mind all day. Needless to say, Tom’s not happy about that.
When Tom gets to school he sees Angela his dream girl, but he’s so caught up with her that he doesn’t realize that a dog is urinating on his leg. He also doesn’t handle it well. This leads to an interesting encounter in class.
At lunch Tom again gets caught up in his infatuation with Angela, only to be taken out of his trance by a fellow student who notices that Tom’s not at disabled as he used to be. Again Tom flies off the handle.
Finally Tom bumps into Angela. She gives him a compliment. He responds in the worst way possible, sarcastically. She walks off and her friends curse me.
Puckett uses the issue very well to illustrate how messed up teenagers are. Tom has a problem with how his powers affect his relationship with his mom. Tom doesn’t know how to react to actual interaction. The way a guy who was isolated (self or otherwise) and now interacts with others is very interesting to view. And he really messed up the one thing that he was going for. I admit I’m digging the drama presented here.
Pleece’s art is great as a storytelling tool. The “trying to fly sequence†is hilarious stuff. Tom’s wandering through a vacant house, really conveys his loneliness. Equally well done is his conveying Tom’s rebellion at breakfast. The scenes of Angela through Tom’s eyes do capture how he sees her. Great art this issue.
