By: Brian Azzarello (story), Cliff Chiang (art), Matthew Wilson (colors)
The Story: The best part about being buddies with a New God? The joyrides.
The Review: Ever since Orion made his silhouetted, booming appearance in #12, we’ve all been waiting with to see whether that cameo was any more than a tease. The final scene of #14 showed that the New Gods’ presence in this arc goes beyond just the Dog of War and may mean a permanent place for them in the new DCU—if, you know, time and space itself doesn’t completely unravel first.
Now it appears that not only are the New Gods firmly established in the DCU, but that they have always been a part of it. Orion apparently makes trips to Earth with some regularity, given the familiarity he has with Milan, another of Zeus’ passel of wedlock children. Although Orion’s kindly treatment of Milan shows you a cool, unexpected side to his character, it does make you wonder how this friendship started, and why Orion is so invested in these Earthbound demigods.
At any rate, Milan is yet another piece of evidence that “‘avin’ Zeus as your dad” is more often a curse than anything else, inviting tragedy and trouble none of them wants. Lennox and Diana do the most sensible thing by teaming up with their other half-siblings, but beyond the strategic value of the relationship, there’s a trust and sincerity between them that doesn’t really exist among the Pantheon family. Lennox, perhaps smarting from Diana’s veiled accusation that he controls her, says, “An’ Diana…? You don’ ‘ave to say I have control over you. We both know it ain’t true… There be older powers in play.”
In spite of his words, Lennox doesn’t seem too bothered at the prospect of getting to take charge. His meeting with Milan shows another, more suspicious side to him. Although relations with Diana and Siracca have gone well for him, Lennox isn’t on the best terms with all his female siblings. Milan states ominously, “I saw what you did to her… You hurt her.” Even if Lennox claims that lives were at stake, it doesn’t change the fact he hasn’t shared certain unsavory details with Diana, and that’s suspicious enough.
Anyway, all this merely stalls time until we reach the event we’ve all been waiting for: the meeting between the greatest warriors of New Genesis and Olympus. It’s got to be one of the better showdowns in recent DC history, right? Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for next month to see Orion’s chops and Diana’s new toys*, which is frustrating, given how long you’ve already been waiting to see how this plot will all turn out, but what can you do?
Meanwhile, there are other threads to occupy you. Raging hatred can’t really last forever—your blood pressure would kill you before then—and that between Hera and Zola has now dwindled to a petty rivalry. Being forced to spend so much time together has led to speaking terms, at least, and their shared boredom might actually lead to a mutual conspiracy to disobey Diana’s instructions to keep a low profile in NYC. This can only go well, as precedent shows. And it’s probably worth mentioning that the First Born’s quest for his old effects makes him kind of a hero in his own story, blurring his role as antagonist for the series.
Chiang is back and that’s always a plus for this series. What I notice about his work this go-round is how expressive the characters look even though he puts only a minimum of detail into their faces. Look at Hera, smoothly transitioning from wistfulness to a regal mischief, or at Zola’s smugness when Diana puts her in charge of the outraged ex-goddess. Wilson’s colors are glossy and bold, giving whole levels of energy to Chiang’s simple, elegant linework.
Conclusion: Steadily intriguing is the best way to describe this book, for even when the action is hardly there, the plot offers plenty of material to keep you speculating and interested.
Grade: B
– Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: * Hephaestus’ tinkering with Diana’s gauntlets now resolves the logistics of where Diana will keep all her incidental weaponry so it doesn’t encumber her in real life. Well played, Azzarello.
– What exactly does Diana do for a living that she can afford the swankiest hotel rooms and limitless room service for a former goddess-queen?
Grade
Conclusion