Reviewer: Late 1940s Superbaby Superboy
Story Title: Soul Searching
Written by: Geoff Johns
Penciled by: Matthew Clark
Inked by: Earth Prime Superboy
Colored by: The ’88 TV Show Superboy
Lettered by: Smallville Superboy
Editor: Post Crisis Clone Superboy
Publisher: DC Comics
Remember when Superboy was an a$$hole? An egomaniacal little prick you wanted to slap? Who thought Superman sucked? Was unapologetically sexist and self-absorbed to the point of narcissism? I remember and I find myself outright hating the Stepfordized Goody-Two Shoes version that has been running around these last couple of years. So trust me, this issue of Titans, which focuses on Superboy whining and crying about his current situation doesn’t appeal to me.
The issue focuses on Superboy and his most recent rampage while under the control of Lex Luthor. To be honest, the issue SCREAMS filler and really, I don’t care about it at all. Hell, I’d rather they simply run the current crappy “Donna Troy” mini-series in the pages of Teen Titans. Even though Phil Jimenez’s mini-series is a horrific, unreadable piece of trash that focuses on an aspect of Donna’s backstory that most fans of the character admit sucks even with George Perez drawing it, it would be far superior than this issue and the upcoming Gail Simone/Rob Liefeld fill-in arc with T and A AKA the new Hawk and Dove.
The gist of this issue’s filler material is Superboy crying about how Luthor turned him evil. Raven shows up to try and fix things via the old ill-defined psychic powers of hers but, really, does anyone care? I’d prefer Cassie to have been the victim of Superboy’s whining since at least we could have gotten a follow-up on how Cassie resisted the vileness of using love to stop Superboy (I refuse to call him whatever name they gave the clone) and resorted to good old fashion fatal electrocution instead. That would have made for a better confrontation:
Superboy: I’m sorry I half-assed my attempt to kill you. I keep getting jeers on the street and obscene phone calls cursing me out for not even burning off that skanky pony-tail of yours with my heat vision…
Cassie: Shh…. I just want to say I’m sorry too, for trying to kill you with electricity. I should have let you kill me while I plead for you to see through Luthor’s mind control through the power of our love. WHY? WHY? WHY DID I HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE GOD OF WAR?? DAMN YOU ARES!!! AND THE HORSE YOU RODE INTO TOWN ON!!!!!
Superboy: Enough talk, let me get my hands on your butt and squeeze it like it’s toilet paper…
Cassie (Giggling like a bimbo): Oh you! TEE-HEE!!!!!!
