The Man of Tomorrow #4 Review

When last we left Conner Kent, aka Superboy, he and the Cosmoteers came fact-to-face with Infinity, Dominator-X’s amalgam clone. The fight continues, but it becomes very clear that Superboy and Trevv don’t have enough strength to stop Infinity. Trevv enacts a plan that reveals the Cosmoteers’ true intentions – he mind-controls all the metas they’ve ever saved to assemble into an army that defeats Infinity and tears him limb from limb. Conner must realize that the friends he’s worked with over several weeks are just as bad as the Dominators they’ve sworn to defeat.

To Kenny Porter’s credit, he slathers on layer after layer of moral dilemmas and ethical conflicts to push Conner beyond his comfort zone. The Cosmoteers are right in that their origins and hardships were borne out of authorities that didn’t do enough to stop the Dominators from inflicting harm. Conversely, the Cosmoteers are absolutely wrong in using the same tactics, force, and conscription methods to impose their will on the galaxy. Every great villain thinks they’re the hero in their story, and this issue gives you a pristine example of that theory in action.

What’s Conner going to do? I don’t know, and that’s why this issue is a winner. Conner finds himself at odds with everyone, so he could just let the bad guys kill each other or do something more Superman-like. Either way, the answer isn’t obvious or easy, so Porter’s setup considerably boosts the anticipation for the next issue.

Overall, this is a surprisingly great issue because it puts Conner in a tough spot that can’t be punched away. The super-clone will need to get clever and more mature very quickly before the galaxy finds a new dictator in charge.