Ratings8
Average rating4.1
Incredible. Up there with Mister Miracle as a peak example of what the superhero graphic novel is capable of. Parts feel like a political thriller, parts like a scifi epic, parts like a military/veteran story, and there's also these classic adventure tales vibes working as a foil against the darker subject matter. The medium allows for exploration of the age old question, what does it mean to be a super hero, to try to set an example, to feel the need to save everyone, to have great power and still not be guaranteed to save everyone, while struggling with the ethics inherent in heroism, the things a hero shouldn't, wouldn't do when trying to save people. Then there's the nature and trauma of war, the decisions of a few that guide the fates of thousands, the idea of being a POW, tortured, only to be asked to join the fight again, a veteran living with violence committed for a cause.
From what little I knew going in, I thought I'd see Mister Terrific more, but even given this was my introduction to his abilities: how do you effectively include a person who knows almost everything in a story with a central mystery, except as a catalyst for starting an investigation and then revealing all? He's handy to have around because it means looking at the role the truth plays, in politics, in war, in families, in your own identity. I think I'll seek out books more focused on his character, see if I can get a different angle on him, especially considering the change for him presented by this ending.
Alanna feels like a subject matter all her own - being ‘the woman behind powerful men', her father, her husband, being the one orchestrating a campaign or the one being manipulated, being a strategist, a victor, a mother, a person in love.
And hey, Batman cameos! 🦇
Will now read anything this team (Tom King and Mitch Gerads also did Mister Miracle) puts out.