Superman Through the Ages! Forum

"have to admit...Prime is one of my absolute favorite characters to write in comics. Glad so many had fun with it. He's the villain you love to hate - and yet, you can see the kid gone wrong so easy. And the black humor and irony dripping out of his cynical, jaded and over-the-top actions...good times. Good times." - Geoff Johns


In case you missed it:

In Qward, Sinestro formed his own fear inducing cosmic force, the Sinestro Corps. Allying the Sinestro's Corps with Cyborg Superman's Manhunters, Parallax, and Superboy Prime, the Anti-Monitor plans on destroying New Earth, thus wiping out the 52 multiverse leaving only the anti-universe of Qward. Only one group dares to challenge this intergalactic threat (sorry I couldn't help myself) - the Green Lantern Corps with some help from Earth's super teams, natch.   

Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Superman Prime #1 Short Review

http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/006206688.cfm

It's been a while since Superboy Prime returned, slaughtering his way through past and present heroes. Thanks to the Sinestro Corps War, Superboy Prime Round 2 starts and ends with more of the same whining, crying, and murder most come to expect from this once Elliot S! Maggin/Curt Swan creation. Thanks to the Siegel and Shuster lawsuit, Superboy Prime now calls himself Superman Prime and he's all grown up.

Spoilers...................


Prime's return, to New Earth, begins at Bart Allen's Flash memorial, where he attracts the attention of all DC's heroes. Since Superboy Prime's wearing his solar armour, the heroes deduce he's not at full strength and since it's night, they might be able to defeat him, only if they remove his armour before daybreak. After a few pages of fighting, Superboy Prime "flashes back" to Earth-Prime and how, as Clark Kent, he struggled with his identity as a normal kid with the name of a comic hero. Readers are reintroduced to Laurie, as Prime remembers her fondness for the sun, not kidding. Jump cut to more pages of fighting and maiming, it's fun for the whole family! Flashback continues with a retelling of DC Comics Presents 87. Earth-1 Superman enlists the help of Superboy Prime during the Crisis. Unfortunately, Earth-Prime is caught in an entropy wave as a screaming Laurie disappears. The Crisis is retold. Back on New Earth, Superboy Prime dismisses Robin's advance, only Robin is not alone. It's Krypto vs Superboy Prime, the war to settle the score. Krypto appears to have the upper paw as another flashback interrupts the action. This time, the Crisis Survivor's Tale is retold and the subsequent Infinite Crisis. After Superboy Prime's defeat, he is incarcerated by the Oans, where the Sinestro Corps rescue him. Superboy Prime discovers the Anti-Monitor exists. While angry with the Anti-Monitor for his current predicament, he agrees to join the Sinestro Corps to avenge his most recent defeat. Then, only after the Anti-Monitor's victory, Superboy Prime will defeat all the bad guys because everyone's else is stupid, again not kidding. Back at Krypto and Superboy Prime's slam, Prime gets the upperhand tearing off Krypto's cape. Flinging a battered Cyborg Superman at Prime, Superman, Supergirl, and Power Girl battle Superboy Prime. Eventually the sun rises, a fully charged Superboy Prime calls himself Superman Prime, and he flies off to fight Sodam Yat, the Daxamite Ion wielding Green Lantern. Oh yeah, did I mention the Anti-Monitor is standing in New York Bay?

       
The overall gist of this book, as Geoff Johns' quote indicates, is to feel for Superman Prime, while loathing him. After reading this issue, I feel sorry Superboy Prime has been subjected to inferior storytelling. Once, a heroic innocent character, Superboy Prime is further darkened to fit a twisted sense of humour. It's like someone told a nasty joke about you, behind your back, and everyone is pointing and snickering. Superboy Prime deserved better than this and I feel like I did after I read Infinite Crisis, robbed.               

   

Maybe they should have stayed in the paradise dimension after all....

Sorry to hear it, but if a guy ran off with your money once, would you ever let him hold it again?  Probably not.  And yet Johns keeps getting more chances.  What hold does this guy have on people?

"Man with with two first names not to be trusted," Charlie Chan Prime. 

Just do what I do, stop buying his books and perhaps DC will start it take a hint. But if you buy his books DC will think that you want more and more of the same at that.

SO please stop (http://infohost.nmt.edu/~egypt/images/shooting-yourself-in-the-foot.gif)

I guess because, on occansion, Geoff Johns is more than capable of writing a well thought out story. His Sinestro Corps War began brilliantly but as it drags on, it's loosing focus. Really, I should know better.  :P


You're right and that pic pretty much sums it up.  :) Time to start spending my cash on something else.

I didn't get past the part where Superman-Prime, needing sunlight to be at full strength, starts out on the dark side of the Earth.  With even 1% of Superman level powers, he orbits the earth in a second and gets light, long before most anyone can muster a soliloquy.

FWIW, I didn't buy it -- cover just looked disgusting in a Superdickery way.

I hate to say it, but I think Secret Identity, (whose banner just appeared above me, irony of ironies) did a better job with the "Kid with superpowers lives in a world where Superman is a comic character" concept then the original story did. I would love to start reading Superman again, but to me what they are doing now is no different then the post-crisis universe. I have gotten to the point where non-superhero stuff sounds more appealling to me then what's on the shelves these days. I would also love to see them give the pocket universe Superboy a chance again but at this rate they'd screw him up too.

No big surprise, since in the trade paperback introduction Kurt Busiek elaborates on how he originally wanted to write a Superboy-Prime story, but in order to get his project approved the concept had to change significantly.  I'd recommend reading this intro, since it provides a fascinating inside look at how an original idea evolves to get past DC's screening process.

And recall that Superboy-Prime's "Secret Identity" was completely blown in front of neighbors, friends and police when he and Superman paid a final visit to the Kents and Laurie.  Even if the Crisis ended differently and Earth-Prime saved, Superboy-Prime would have a problematic homecoming.  Do you really think this story could be kept quiet?  Superman: Secret Identity resolved the dilemma of "everyone knowing Clark Kent is Superman" by turning the concept on its ear -- NOBODY would believe that someone named Clark Kent would DARE take on a Superman persona!   ;)