CREDIT: DC Comics
Rating: 4/5 – Cyborg Finally Gets His Own Series Post New 52.
by ComicSpectrum senior reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
There are a few artists that I’ll follow anywhere they go, and Ivan Reis is one of them. So when Reis was announced as the artist on a brand new Cyborg series, although a bit surprised, I was excited to see such a great talent taking on a character that needs, and some could say deserve, more solo attention. Between Reis’ work on Green Lantern and Justice League, he made Aquaman one of the best looking books on the rack as he focused his attention and pencils on a singular character rather than the large ensemble casts he juggled with Justice League and Green Lantern. With Cyborg, he gets the chance to do so again and this first issue looks great.
Cyborg’s costume, although different from when it first appeared in 1980, hasn’t changed all that much. The refinements that Reis includes are welcome additions and makes the robotic exo-suit look sleek and lightweight. As the suit begins to evolve as we see a little bit happening within this first issue, Reis shows the internal components that include wiring, moving parts and more. You can almost see how all the parts work together. Reis doesn’t skimp on the details as his pages are packed with panels. Reis has the chance to put his own stamp on the character much like George Perez did years ago and I’m looking forward to seeing more.
When it comes to the writing, David F. Walker gives us a solid first issue that does enough for new readers to get to know the character, while at the same time introducing us to a group of villains that look to be new and dangerous. One thing that will frustrate though is the lack of editorial boxes. Long gone from the pages of comics, I’ve haven’t missed them quite like this in a long while. In one particular scene, Cyborg recounts how he’s come close to dying three different times. Although I remember the first one, I didn’t know when or where the second two happened. A small footnote to let readers know where to find these stories would be beneficial since this is his first solo book, and despite him starring in Justice League which I read each month, I don’t remember these stories happening which made me think I may have missed important moments in this character’s brief post-Flashpoint life.
Despite some confusion regarding Cyborg’s most recent past, Walker does a nice job throughout this first issue of balancing the “man in the machine” theme as Vic Stone deals with his evolving powers, as well as his strained relationship with his father. Cyborg number one seems like a long time coming for a character that DC wants to be front and center within the DCU. So far it seems as though they’re on the right path by putting one of, if not their best artists on the book. Let’s hope that Cyborg gets a long and successful run as he has so much potential and promise.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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