“Pocatello: Part 1 – Pathcutter” (No Spoilers)
Finally, we get a good jumping on point with the Gen 13 kids. Originally, issue 33 was supposed to be writer Phil Hester’s first but the story running through Wildcats and The Authority required writer Adam Beechen to take Gen 13 for issues 33 & 34 before we could get here. I can see why this was done but it has been hard to sell Gen 13 with a good jumping on point because of this. Thankfully, they finally accomplish that here.
Sparta U.S.A. #2
“Fear the Future” (No Spoilers)
Sparta U.S.A. is one of the oddest stories I’ve read in a long while. It’s one-part Twilight Zone, one-part Twin Peaks, with just a dash of Doctor Who thrown in. It’s the kind of story that you spend a lot of time trying to wrap your brain around. So far, I couldn’t tell you if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
It’s not that the concepts are completely out there. Rising up against an oppressive force seems to be the basis for the story so far. It’s the odd setting and the details of this world that leave you in a constant state of uncertainty.
The Authority #21
“Adrift” (No Spoilers)
The creative team consisting of writers Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman along with artist Al Barrionuevo bow out of their Authority run with this issue. No official reason has been given but regardless of the reason, I am saddened by their departure. Their run has been really strong and after four solid issues, I hate to see them go. But the good news is they leave us with a really good issue.
Someone asked me to give a summary of what I thought of both this title and the current Wildcats title. I told them Wildcats right now was very much like a Michael Bay movie while The Authority is reminding me a lot of the new Battlestar Galactica series. And I’m enjoying each title based on that comparison.
Wildcats #21
“Red Blade 3 of 3: Red Reign” (No Spoilers)
Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! What an amazing finish to this crazy high-speed car chase on crack of a storyline that Adam Beechen and Tim Seeley have kicked off their run with! These guys took the phrase “hit the ground running” to the nth degree with this one. This was a crazy superhero war! This is the kind of carnage that would be wrought if super-powered beings really got into it.
When I saw that their first arc was only going to be 3-issues I was a little concerned because I thought that was too short for an arc. Especially considering the kind of the story they were going to tell.