The adventure with Boyzarro in Superman #43 is exciting, fun, and a little bit emotional.
Last issue clearly had two goals for its story. The first was to introduce readers to Bizarro World and its new denizen, Boyzarro, son of Bizarro. The second was to have Superboy poke around enough for the Bizarro denizen to become curious and jumpstart the plot. After running from a fight between Bizarro and Loiz (Lois Lane’s Bizarro doppelgänger), Boyzarro finds his way into the main DC Earth. He stalks Superboy and when he settles for bedtime, Boyzarro breaks through his window. What will happen to the Boy of Steel?
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story:
After following Superboy home, Boyzarro begins questioning the Boy of Steel who he is. Jon, being the kind-hearted half-Kryptonian he is, welcomes him. The two begin to bond as equals, but Superboy realizes Boyzarro doesn’t have a very good home life. Before he can offer him a place to stay, Superman rockets in to face the “threat” on his son. This leads to a fight between the Bizarro denizen facing-off against the Man of Steel. Meanwhile, on Bizarro World, the Backwards Bruiser himself finally realizes his son is missing, just as a new threat rises.
This story can be summed up in three characteristics: humorous, fun, and emotional. There is a ton of humor from the backward antics of Boyzarro and his father. Sometimes it’s the reverse of a legendary stereotype, sometimes it’s the childish nature, but whenever a Bizarro is on the page I couldn’t help but giggle. They’re just so fun to see go against the Man of Steel.
There are also a surprising amount of emotional moments from Boyzarro. He’s afraid to go home because his father really isn’t that good and you feel bad for the backwards Boy of Steel. Boyzarro reacts to everything as a child would, from apologizing sheepishly to hiding from adults. If it wasn’t for the freezing eye beams and fire breath, you’d want to give the poor kid a hug.
Art:
Patrick Gleason brings his A-game when it comes to the illustrations of this issue. He is able to make the people of Bizarro world look silly but can still make them terrifying when they need to be. It’s the range of emotion in the art that makes the entire issue feel more alive and entrancing to readers. The colorists of the issue also played a big part in this. Stephen Downer and Alejandro Sanchez work together to make a vibrant and colorful world and used the lighting to show emotion. The art team as a whole was able to make a great story look fantastic.
Conclusion:
Overall, this is a solid second chapter to the Boyzarro arc. The story has plenty of humor, action, and is able to pull the heartstrings. The art goes above and beyond to make the world feel alive. The only major problem I can say is that the Bizarro talk might confuse the uninitiated. If you can get over that hurdle, however, you’ll be in for a treat of an issue.
