DCU Comic Book Reviews

Rann-Thanagar War #6

Seven Hells

December 2005

Written by Dave Gibbons

Pencils by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado & Joe Bennett

Inks by Marc Campos & Joe Prado & Oclair Albert & Jack Jadson

Cover by Ivan Reis & Marc Campos

Synopsis

On Rann, Onimar Synn is leading the assault on Mount Ebalon to gain Rann’s Zeta Beam technology.  Inside the fortress, Sardath is unsure how Onimar Synn found them.  Tigorr realizes that they were detected due to the radiation traces left over from when he used the Zeta Beam on Throneworld.  That gives Adam Strange an idea.  Suddenly, all of those inside use the Zeta Beam to transport into the middle of the battle.  Seven of them are carrying a small device which they place on various body parts of Onimar Synn.  Sardath then turns on the Zeta Beams and sends Onimar Synn to seven different parts of the universe.  Without Onimar Synn, the zombies crumble to dust, leaving only the human army left.  While Rann was battling Onimar Synn, Thanagar and the Tamarans took control of Polara.  Sardath has sent a fleet, but the Green Lanterns (Kyle Rayner and Kilowog) arrive to broker peace.  Meamwhile, a deep space phenomenon confuses everyone, although Queen Komand’r of Tamaran insists it is due to Ramn technology.  The Grand Mor of Thanagar orders the attack on Rann.

Review

What the hell?  It was fairly obvious before I even started to read this that would be no true resolution to this mini-series.  Just the like the others, this would move the DCU, in this case the sci-fi aspect, forward, but would not find a resolution until sometime in the middle of the Crisis that is coming up.  But I did not expect this.  Imagine watching the first Star Trek movie and having Khan show up near the end.  “Hi, kids, my name is Noonien and I will be important very much later.  Just thought I’d tell you that.”  And that is the way this feels.  The space anomaly or whatever it is will undoubtedly be important in the Crisis, but it has absolutely nothing, dare I repeat myself?, nothing to do with this series.  Did it end the war?  Did it kill lots o’ people?  No and no.  It just appeared and everyone is confused.  Corn-fused, I say.  And so am I.  At least in the others the events were important and a lot changed, whether it is the nature of magic or the nature of the OMACs.  But really what was accomplished in this mini-series other than killing Hawkwoman and a villain?  Rann and Thanagar are still at war.

The entire mini-series started slow, but man picked up steam only to sputter at the end.  I would have been much happier with more battle scenes and ending with Onimar’s death.  At least the resolution would’ve been satisfying.

I really liked Onimar Synn’s death.  The entire war began with wanting Rann’s technology, the Zeta Beams.  At the end of the previous, Onimar Synn said he was coming to get it.  Well, he got it.  And then he split up into 7 different bits so that he literally went to Seven Hells.  Ah!  But more importantly, I like the way Sardath was drawn as he explained what he had done to little Aleea.  He looked like the cat that ate canary.-- MRB

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