Dust in the Wind
Written by: Steve OrlandoArt by: Robson Rocha, Daniel Henriques, Micheal Atiyeh and Steve Wands
Cover Price: 3.99
Release Date: September 13, 2017
It's time to end the Emerald Eradication arc and while I think there is a story somewhere underneath the convoluted plot and over the top dialogue, it's going to take a whole lot to finish this up strong. I am still holding out hope that Steve Orlando can do it, but after all we've gotten, I'm not sure why. Oh well, I am going in with an open mind. Here we go...
The issue opens with Supergirl freaking out over Emerald Empress' promise to destroy her father, the once Cyborg Superman. This is all coming out of the recent Supergirl Annual and everything seemed to jive as the crowd looked on in horror at the recently exposed Supergirl and her father...who happens to be public enemy number one. That is until Supergirl asks why Emerald Empress was against her. What? We had all this in the Annual. I understand recap and flashbacks, but this is an entirely new scene that just puts everything on repeat. We started the issue with the reaction of this same scene that we now get afterwards. NONSENSE!!!
Meanwhile, Selina and Magog are pushed out of the picture very convienently by Lar-On and Ben Rubble shuts down the Catco app by creating "Billions of Dummy Accounts" to overload the server in a matter of seconds. Done and done.
After Indigo joins in the battle with Supergirl, Kara somehow discovers that the Eye of Ekron has dust on it that's from the past. That must mean that it is controlling Emerald Empress! What????
After destroying the Eye, Emerald Empress disappears and the National City crowd wants justice. After Steve Orlando uses the phrase "Powder Keg" just like he likes to in Justice League of America, her father somehow gets out of his containment tube and rips Indigo apart. Oh snap!
The issue ends with Cameron Chase resigning from the DEO and heading off with Lar-On, Eliza and Jeremiah quitting and moving as well and Kara trying to get back to her life. We also get a new director of the DEO who already was the director in this continuity and a Mr. Oz ending that seems like it was tacked on after the fact.
Steve Orlando suddenly stepped on the gas to get this arc finished and the result was a very rushed ending. The convoluted deal with the Eye of Ekron and how easily the Fatal FIve was taken down just made it all feel unearned and even silly and I have pretty much lost any hope that this book will ever be good.
I did like the art a lot and give Robson Rocha and his art team props for at least making this book easy to look at. It can only do so much, though!
Bits and Pieces:
After all the setup, Steve Orlando ends the Emerald Eradication arc in a very forced and convoluted way. The issue looked good, but the story was confusing at points and laughable at others. Supergirl and her fans deserve better.
4.5/10
Honestly it seems like Steve Orlando tries to to do huge action set pieces which do work nicely and the incredible art compliments it as well. But what lacks is actually any solid characterization of the character. It seems like Steve doesn't know how to handle the human persona and herein lies the problem. In trying to make her more like the CW tvshow version, this version feels so empty to me, like those lines about hope she spouts seems bland, I liked the new 52 run better. I hope with the new arc, they do better cause her fans do deserve better.
ReplyDeleteP.S did you think that the 20 thousand year reference was a subtle nod to the DCEU man of steel prequel comics Kara zor-el, where her scout ship was buried under ice for 20,000 years?
i agree! The characterizations are just cliched one-liners and statements with nothing behind them. I hope it gets better! and now that you mentioned it, I do think that's what he was referencing!!!
DeleteI just came from Katie's review at the GWW. The reviews are different as night and day. I think your grade is as accurate as hers as I believe reviews are always subjective.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest though, she has the right way to read the comic. Comics are supposed to brighten your day. Your review reads like it is misery to read.
It was Katie's first review and I am not going to overlook flaws because it's a comic book and I should enjoy it...i love movies, but that doesn't mean I should like every movie.
DeleteI'm glad Katie liked it, but what did Selina shoot supergirl with the overcharged her powers? How does Kara know the dust on the Eye is from the past and why should that mean it's controlling Empress? Why is mr. Bones head of the DEO when he already was in this continuity before turning bad? Where did Selina go off to?
Plus, after the big setup of the Fatal Five, they are taken out easily.
I'm sorry this review read like misery, but this is not a good book. I have written almost two thousand reviews and I try to judge the book by its merits.
Like you said reviews are subjective if you read supergirl and feel more like katie that should be your go to if you feel more like jim then use him for what little hes worth and toss him like a 2 cent hooker...love ypu guys a t weird science :D
DeleteI'm not that cheap
DeleteI really liked this issue. I was a bit lost from not reading the annual (I almost never read annuals) but luckily there was a quick recap to catch me up to speed. While the resolution to this arc was quick I thought it felt more fast paced than rushed. I've always loved stories where the hero struggles to do the right thing and it always works well in the Super books. I thought it worked wonderfully here. Not only is everything wrapped up nicely I thought it did a good job of setting up the book's future. This is how I wish the average “event” comic would work. The art was great, but I still miss Brian Ching. This issue and most of this arc has felt very cinematic. Maybe because it's trying to emulate the CW show and that's fine by me. I'd put it at a 6.5/10.
ReplyDelete