DCU Comic Book Reviews

MYSTERY IN SPACE #8

The Decision!

July 2007

Written by Jim Starlin

Pencils by Ron Lim and Jim Starlin

Inks by Rob Hunter and Al Milgrom

Cover by Ron Lim and Rob Hunter

Synopsis

The Church of the Eternal Light Corporation (ELC) has taken control of Hardcore Station.  However, Comet has devised a plan to defeat the ELC.  Meanwhile, Deacon Dark has convinced the Weird via telepathy to kill Comet.  In space, Comet awaits on an asteroid for the ECL monks; when they arrive he sets off a bomb and then teleports back to Hardcore Station.  He is then attacked by the Weird.  As the two battle, Comet telepathically reveals to the Weird that Deacon Dark was lying.  While the Weird attacks Deacon Dark, Comet heads out to attack the ELC.  Comet defeats the ELC’s robot mercenaries and demands surrender.  Prime-7 declines and threatens to remove the oxygen from a part of Hardcore Station.  Comet retaliates by blowing up bombs inside the ELC that he had placed there earlier.  Afterwards, the Weird decides to return to Earth and Comet goes out for a drink with his friends.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I love it when a plan comes together.  Moreover, I like it when a writer devises a plot that does not rely on some last minute, out-of-nowhere help to defeat the bad guys.  Starlin methodically plotted out Comet’s plan and then executed that plan.  It may seem simple and obvious, but a lot of writers really don’t understand that it hurts the main character when they defeat the bad guy only random chance or luck or outside help.  At the beginning, this series literally revived Captain Comet, but the way Starlin crafted ending strengthens Comet’s character, making him stronger in the eyes of the reader.  There was no help, no sudden inspiration, no deus ex machina.  There was just a well-crafted plan.  Moreover, the villains were not portrayed as idiots, just as characters whose plan failed because Comet was stronger and better.  Well, okay, Prime-7 was an idiot, but he was basically shown that way from the very start of the mini-series so it wasn’t an aberration. 

About the only negative thing I can say about this issue is that the two pencilers take away from the book as a whole since their styles and not exactly compatible.  It interrupted the flow a little bit, but admittedly the story was good enough that I really didn’t mind. 

Overall, I loved this entire mini-series.  there were parts of the Weird’s back-up stories that didn’t work for me, but I liked how Starlin worked the Weird into the overall storyline, making him part of the overall narrative even before the two characters met for the first (and only) time in the final issue.

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