By: Tony Bedard (writer), Claude St. Aubin (penciller), Scott Hana (inker), Rich & Tanya Horie (colorists)
The Story: With a bout of peace at last, our R.E.B.E.L.S. finally have some time to work on their romantic entanglements. These are…the days of their lives…
The Review: With the last issue focused mainly on the Vega sector’s Green Lanterns, the R.E.B.E.L.S. haven’t had much opportunity to develop their characters and show their stakes in this whole operation. Unfortunately, that’s been the case for most of the series’ run. Despite a great cast of cosmic personalities, Vril Dox continues to get the lion’s share of page-time and big moments, and that’s really no way to keep up the integrity of a team comic.
This issue does some work to reverse that trend. Sure, once again Dox’s burgeoning relationship with the edgy Blackfire gets the biggest showcase, but at least you also get touching scenes with Adam Strange’s wife and daughter (still one of the most well-adjusted families in the DCU), Captain Comet trying to drink away his problematic crush on Starfire, and even Lobo getting some action. These are all good moments to give the characters some drama besides cleaning up whatever mess Dox has gotten them all into again.
On the other hand, Tony Bedard tends to be a little too talky with his writing. He does pen some good dialogue, especially where his pet characters (Dox and now Lobo) are concerned. But too often the characters talk about their problems or recall events instead of having those things shown, and that’s a pretty lame use of a visual medium. For example, Strange and his wife spend two pages talking about their past and their friends’ love lives, all in panels of various close-ups, like the storyboard of a soap opera. It doesn’t make for very lively reading.
And after all that, you still don’t really get much of a new handle on these characters than you did before. Comet’s still a lovesick dog, Strange an adaptable family man, and Lobo—well, he’s still Lobo. Dox still gets the most profit out of the issue as his evening with Blackfire show the semblance of his sensitive side—possibly even a genuine one. It’s still pretty clear, however, that there may be some plotting happening from both parties. These are probably the scenes that get the best treatment and have the largest stakes in the long-run for this series.
The action pumps up in a big way toward the very end, but there’s little to be excited about. The R.E.B.E.L.S. have already fought and defeated Starro so many times before that there’s little reason to believe he’ll be any bigger threat this time around, especially since he’s only got two helpers tagging along. The whole concept of the possessing starfishes just feels old and tired, like Bedard has run out of ideas.
Claude St. Aubin is clearly better drawing close, dramatic scenes than expansive, action panels. When the panel is tight around the character, Aubin gives some great details to their features and expression. But zoom out some, and everything simplifies until they’re barely more than a collection of shapes and lines. Even the splashy view of the city from the Stranges’ residence seems really unimpressive for its lack of detail or imagination. A cosmic title simply deserves better creative energy. Scott Hana does his best to add depth to Aubin’s lines, and Rich and Tanya Harris offer some evocative mood coloring, but the art still remains serviceable at best.
Conclusion: R.E.B.E.L.S. is missing a sense of direction for its story and characters. Each issue seems to be desperately buying time until the series can finally figure out a mission statement for itself. With mediocre art and limited character work, there’s little to regard this title as special.
Grade: C
– Minhquan Nguyen
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