DCU Comic Book Reviews

STRANGE ADVENTURES #5

Too Weird

September 2009

Written by Jim Starlin

Pencils by Jim Starlin

Inks by Al Milgrom

Cover by Jim Starlin

Synopsis

In the Dark Zone, Comet, Eye, Adam Strange, and Future Synnar in the guise of the Weird encounter hundreds of Weirds, who has gained near-omnipotence thanks to the melding with Synnar.  Nearby, Prince Gavyn is searching for Adam Strange and comapny.  When he finds them, Gavyn sends an intense burst of astral energy that sends the Weirds away.  Afterwards, Synnar tells Comet he will need to kill Weird.  Comet doesn’t like the idea.  Strange realizes that like or not, the small group may need to join forces with Synnar to take away Weird’s power and give it back to Synnar.  At that moment, the Weird returns, with more power.  This time, Comet telepathically reaches out and asks Weird to stop.  Comet then tries to talk to Weird.  As he does, he and Strange are zapped and teleported inside the Weird’s psyche! 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This was, pardon the pun, a weird issue (I slay me!  Ahem).  Anyway, I found it odd (and aren’t you glad I didn’t say strange) that a lot of this issue was exposition, almost as if Starlin was uncertain if the reading audience knew what was happening.  So, we get some explanation from Synnar about what is going on and what needs to happen along the the gang debating Synnar’s plan and eventually agreeing to it.  In the midst of all of this, we get a lackluster fight between the gang and the Weirds followed by the ending where Comet and Strange get zapped.  In between, not much happens other than to set the stage for the upcoming finale.  Normally, I would call this the Middle Chapter syndrome, but it doesn’t quite feel that way.  It actually feels like a lot of noise and fury about nothing.  Reading this issue it seems like a lot of stuff is going on, but really, there is very little.  Maybe it’s the way Starlin writes.  The characters say a lot of but are saying nothing.  Think about Comet’s temper tantrum, which is given numerous panels but accomplished nothing other than take up space before Comet is pressed to do what Synnar told him he needed to do in the first place.  Was it necessary to have the tantrum.  I don’t know.  One could argue that is character building, showing a part of C0met’s petulant, self-serving character and I can see that point of view.  But does the character-building moment actually have an important part in the story.  Essentially, the characters and story need to build together, not one after the other.  If that makes sense.  Anyway, this is not a bad story, but it is rather lackluster, without much enthusiasm.  There is a lot happening, but nothing to get excited about. 

Lost And Found

Written by Jim Starlin

Art by Rafael Albuquerque

Synopsis

On Hardcore Station, Bizarro receives a message from Superman telling him to allow Coriolis to take him to Superman.  Meanwhile, Ciriolis is haunted by Deacon Dark for his failure.  However, Ciriolis finds Bizarro and takes him to Deacon Dark.   

Review

Other than the fact that Ciriolis found Bizarro and Bizarro is supposed to take Hawkman’s place in the Aberrant Six, I have no idea what just happened in this story.  Granted, it is just like all the others where I am confused, but this one seems so straight forward and, yet….  I mean, what the hell was the deal with the boxes?  What did that mean?  Frankly, it almost feels like Starlin needed to add extra pages to make it fit, so added the scene just to waste pages. 

 

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