Ray: Superboy’s journey to Superman has had some surprising stumbling blocks in its way, but none more intense than the man who seems to have named himself his mentor – whether he likes it or not. Captain Comet, posing as a teacher at Clark’s school, has been setting up tests for him to determine if he’s fit to be a hero – and in the latest, he seems to have set him up to be captured by the US military. Clark finds himself surrounded by General Sam Lane and his men, who are cutting him no slack for helping round up some supervillains, and Clark has to quickly decide whether he’s going to surrender and lose everything – or run. He chooses the latter, deeply troubled by possibly having the government against him, and has to deal with the fallout of the last few days when he returns to school the next day. But the much bigger showdown with Captain Comet is yet to come.

So far, Comet has been difficult to figure out – deliberately so. Is he a hero or villain? What are his motivations for trying to train Clark and then seemingly selling him out? It all becomes clear today, as the older hero is found at his home experimenting on himself. Once the ticking clock over his head is explained, Clark is faced with a choice. He might be able to help him – but he’d have to force him into a situation he’s refusing. This is a great ethical dillema for Clark to find himself in – and that may be exactly by design as well. This first arc has had a few large-scale threats, but what it’s had even more importantly is a fantastic take on Clark as he learns the basics of how to be Superman. This wouldn’t be possible without Mark Waid’s skilled, experienced pen controlling Clark’s actions, and I’m hoping that the next arc is just as compelling as the first as Clark’s journey continues.

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Source: geekdad.com