Superboy #2

Written by JEFF LEMIRE; Art by PIER GALLO; Cover by PHIL NOTO; 1:10 Variant cover by GUILLEM MARCH

The vegetation of Smallville is out of control, and all evidence points to Poison Ivy as the cause! Superboy's friend Simon thinks there might be more to this than meets the eye, but he'll have a hard time convincing Superboy of that now that he's in the thrall of Ivy ! Originally on sale December 8, 2010.

Premise: The plants of Smallville are taking over and Superboy must find out why. Naturally all clues point towards Poison Ivy until she shows up to prove her innocence. It is discovered that a mysterious machine is behind the plant mischief; a machine that Ivy decides she wants for herself. There isn't much of a fight before Ivy is taken down. After being attacked by genetically modified purple frogs, compliments of Superboy's friend Simon (yes frogs), she is knocked unconscious by the force of the exploding mysterious device. The plants begin to wither as Superboy attempts to set things right. A task that includes delivering Poison Ivy back to Gotham City.

Opinion: As far as Poison Ivy cameos go this one is rather dull. But I can't decide if it's the mediocre story or the mediocre color job that failed to excite me.

I'm sure this issue is part of a larger story that will give it better context. But I don't follow this series. Also, it's hard to tell if this is out of continuity or not. I'm assuming that it is because Poison Ivy has been busy over in Gotham City Sirens trying to wrangle Catwoman and Harley.

The artwork here is mixed. I like the quality of the inks but I really don't like Poison Ivy's look. That hair is a crime! Though I must lay most of the blame at the colorist Jamie Grant. There's way too much yellow going on here. She looks sickly. I shrug.

Posted in: Comics