Tuesday, November 17, 2009

R.E.B.E.L.S. #10

I freely admit that I only bought this comic to score the promotional toy Lantern ring (though I'm not sure if it was the Orange or Indigo Ring - both arrived this week, one for Booster Gold and the other for R.E.B.E.L.S.).

But rumor has it that this is a pretty good comic, so let's take a look.

It's kind of like jumping into the deep end of the pool here. There are a lot of new characters to wade through, although they're all clearly labeled for the new readers (like me) picking up this issue.

The central character is Vril Dox (Brainiac 2), the obnoxious descendant of the original Brainiac (somehow).

He's in the middle of an intergalactic battle with Starro, who is apparently not just a giant starfish anymore, but heads up a massive galactic army threatening to overrun... well, everything.

Add to the mix a missing child genius and the threat from the Blackest Night, as Vril's dead ex-wife enters the picture, and you have a heck of a lot going on in one issue.

It's almost too much to take in - but it's a credit to writer Tony Bedard that it never quite gets away from the reader. He's helped by the detailed (yet clean) art of Andy Clark, who keeps the characters distinct and separate.

The story has lots of twists and a surprise ending - overall, an enjoyable read.

I'm not sure if I enjoyed it enough to add to my regular reading list, though I'll probably check out the next issue just to see how all these conflicts are resolved.

Not a classic, but not bad at all.

Grade: B+

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