Wonder Twins #4 Review

Wonder Comics Twins

Writer: Mark Russell

Art: Stephen Byrne

Letters: Dave Sharpe
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 8, 2019

Legion of Doom Mixers, Superman’s love for soft jazz, dates gone wrong, and Filo Math’s villainous background all in this week’s Wonder Twins #4 by Mark Russell. Let’s jump in!

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

Summary

The story opens at the Science Fair with Filo Math’s daughter, Polly, discussing how the internet can be comparable to a human mind AND at some point become sentient. Meanwhile, Zan and Jayna end up finding dates at the Science Fair, which is obviously where the cool kids hang, and each has an unexpected twist. Prior to their dates, Jayna meets up with her date, Red Flag, at the Legion of Doom’s Super Villain Mixer. Polly ends up joining Jayna for backup only to find her Dad is also in attendance. 

After a blow-up between Polly and her Dad, Jayna heads out with Red Flag to the Garlic Dungeon for some breadsticks. Next, Zan goes to see the movie Gun Cop with his date.  The issue ends with Jayna realizing Red Flag is a turd and Zan getting ”Friend Zoned” by his date who ends up getting back together with her ex-boyfriend DURING the movie. For some reason, this reader left the issue wanting to know more about the movie Gun Cop.

Internet Sentience 

If you’ve been following along with the series so far, as well as any of Russell’s prior works, you realize that each issue is satirical in nature through the lenses of some of our favorite characters like the Flintstones, Snagglepuss, and now the Wonder Twins. This issue is no different. So, let’s see where Russell was aiming at in this issue.

The first satirical theme was about life itself. What constitutes life? Flesh and bone? Consciousness? Russell was simply poking fun at the idea of the internet being a brain that functions just like a human brain while causing the reader to think deeper about their definition of thought, life, and sentience. Hey, thanks for that Al Gore!

Relationships and Love

The next idea Russell was poking at was dating and relationships in general. One aspect of relationships is simply getting one. Russell shows the distinct nuances between going from one relationship to the next and puts a bullseye on how this generation views dating as though it’s a badge of honor. However, Zan realizes by the end of the issue something that most people realize as they mature and get older, which is that love takes time. 

In addition, Russell suggests that one of the most important things in this world are relationships, especially seeing Zan’s reaction to his date during the movie. Instead of standing in the way of his date and ex-boyfriend, Zan openly accepted their reunion and gained a friend in the process. However, Jayne’s date didn’t quite turn out as positive as Zan’s did. Jayna learned that in a physical world, appearances aren’t everything. 

Villainous Perspective 

Readers also learned that behind every suspected villain is a reason for their deeds. Filo Math was being forced into his actions by Lex Luthor, especially after his wife was murdered. He’s simply at the Legion of Doom Mixer to guarantee his daughters safety. Yet, when Polly sees her father there, that’s not what she thinks. Russell is amplifying the idea of perception as well as perspective. 

Behind every human action or deed are circumstances driving their choices and decisions. This doesn’t make them an anti-hero. It simply makes them human. Being human simply means dealing with these struggles that impact our lives daily even if it puts us in harm's way. It’s what we do. 

Russell is humorously showing readers that life not only depends on what you see but from what angle you see it from. How many wars started because of what someone thought was truly right and just, yet it turns out it wasn’t at all? How many villains get sucked into the game because of necessity and not desire? Well, Filo Math appears to be one of them. 

If you’re reading Wonder Twins for character development, continuity, and crazy twists and turns with the plot of the story, you simply won’t find that in issue 4. If you’re reading Wonder Twins for insightful, satirical, and comedic blends of comics, real life, character development, and societal issues that make you ask thought-provoking questions, then Mark Russell is your guy. Readers just need to keep in mind what the purpose of this comic is before reading it. 

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the issue and left questioning what it truly means to be “alive”, relationships, and the circumstances that surround our perspectives of the situations we deal with each day, including the villains this reader has grown up reading. Normally, we assume the villain is just a “bad guy”. But why is he/she a “bad guy”? Abraham Lincoln once said, “ we can complain because rose bushes have thorns, OR rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” Something to ponder until the next issue I suppose. 

Bits and Pieces:

Even though this wasn’t my favorite issue of the series, nor my favorite issue Russell as written overall, I still recommend the issue to any Mark Russell fan as well as anyone interested in a clever read. It’s humorous, insightful, witty, and chalked full of unique messages that will make you stop and ask some great questions over a cup of coffee. Pick it up at your local shop. I think you will be pleased!

8.6/10