Scan barcode
the_rox13's review
2.0
Synopsis: Derek is struggling to deal with the murder of his mother. He's pushing his father and best friend Ernie away and the kids at his school are being total assholes about it. He gets swept up with this group called the Seven Soldiers, composed of Zatanna, Frankenstein, Klarion, the Shining Knight, Shilo Norman, the Bulleteer and the Manhattan Guardian (who is missing). What follows is something that is hard to follow, but essentially, Derek goes dimension hopping with the Seven Soldiers.
In the process, Derek frees a Superman from another dimension (who looks exactly like early New 52 Action Comics Superman), meets a group called the Unseen frees the Manhattan Guardian and misses his mother's funeral. Once the Unseen's master is defeated by Superman, they are able to enter into the main DC earth. Tempus almost destroys them, but then thinks better of it and lets them go.
Meanwhile, Derek returns home to find that he has been missing for a week and his father has called the police. The detective working on Derek's mother's case implies Derek is a suspect and Derek's dad basically says he doesn't want to be his dad anymore because adopting him was Helen's idea, anyway. At school, Ernie has Derek take her to Paris where she reveals her parents are making her and her sister choose who they want to live with after the divorce.
Derek has to leave to fight some kind of terrorist that claims to be working for Leviathan. When he returns to Ernie, she is captured by a man with similar powers as Derek named Bolt, who has been sent by Dark Star Labs. After getting Ernie to safety, Derek is taken by Bolt to Dark Star Labs. Leto Dominus intends to open a dimensional portal using Derek. Of course, the creatures Derek fought with Tempus come out and Derek opens a rift within a rift which causes an explosion and sends the creatures back to the dark multiverse.
The killer is revealed to be Helen's assistant Sandy Bridwell. Her motivation? She wanted a promotion and that's all I'm saying about that synopsis-wise because that's all there is to it. I'm pretty sure Derek lets her car fall off a cliff he created with a rift. Derek's father introduces him to his birth mother and Tempus talks with a mysterious figure in the dark multiverse about Derek. Derek and Ernie appear to be going on a date, but before they leave Derek texts his mother back two weeks after her murder. She responds, but Derek isn't there to see it.
Review: I hate to say I was disappointed with this volume, but I really was. Unfortunately, my dislike of the story came from the fact that I felt the first half was filler. I doubt Rocafort and Didlo planned on getting canceled so, of course, they would put in a little filler arc. It can't be all central plot all the time. However, because this is the last volume since it was indeed canceled, it feels like a flimsy waste of time. It reminds me of some of the other choppy writing that has plagued DC since before Rebirth started.
The Seven Soldiers arc seemed pointless and confusing. I get that they needed Derek to save Guardian because he was in the dark multiverse, but it just seemed like the writers crammed so many sidequests for Derek along the way I kept forgetting why the hell he was there. And really, anything with that early New 52 Action Comics Superman never makes much sense to me. Perhaps it's because I felt New 52 Superman all around was confusing.
The killer reveal was fucking horrible. Helen died over this bitch wanting a promotion? THAT'S what we're going with? I would have rather Dark Star Labs and Leto Dominus been the killers. It would have been obvious, but at least Helen wouldn't have died over nothing. I know that sounds fucked up, but I just don't understand why Sandy hit her in the first place.
The first half feels like a waste of time and the second half just builds to disappointment. But the real tragedy here is the potential Derek James has. I know I just shit all over it, but this book could have gone to new, interesting places and it would tie in well with anything to do with the dark multiverse. It's a goddamn shame. Derek is also a person of color, so it sucks to see another POC character's book get cut (Cyborg).
The best I can hope for is that Sideways rifts into a team book.
Also, did Derek really let Sandy die/lowkey kill her???
In the process, Derek frees a Superman from another dimension (who looks exactly like early New 52 Action Comics Superman), meets a group called the Unseen frees the Manhattan Guardian and misses his mother's funeral. Once the Unseen's master is defeated by Superman, they are able to enter into the main DC earth. Tempus almost destroys them, but then thinks better of it and lets them go.
Meanwhile, Derek returns home to find that he has been missing for a week and his father has called the police. The detective working on Derek's mother's case implies Derek is a suspect and Derek's dad basically says he doesn't want to be his dad anymore because adopting him was Helen's idea, anyway. At school, Ernie has Derek take her to Paris where she reveals her parents are making her and her sister choose who they want to live with after the divorce.
Derek has to leave to fight some kind of terrorist that claims to be working for Leviathan. When he returns to Ernie, she is captured by a man with similar powers as Derek named Bolt, who has been sent by Dark Star Labs. After getting Ernie to safety, Derek is taken by Bolt to Dark Star Labs. Leto Dominus intends to open a dimensional portal using Derek. Of course, the creatures Derek fought with Tempus come out and Derek opens a rift within a rift which causes an explosion and sends the creatures back to the dark multiverse.
The killer is revealed to be Helen's assistant Sandy Bridwell. Her motivation? She wanted a promotion and that's all I'm saying about that synopsis-wise because that's all there is to it. I'm pretty sure Derek lets her car fall off a cliff he created with a rift. Derek's father introduces him to his birth mother and Tempus talks with a mysterious figure in the dark multiverse about Derek. Derek and Ernie appear to be going on a date, but before they leave Derek texts his mother back two weeks after her murder. She responds, but Derek isn't there to see it.
Review: I hate to say I was disappointed with this volume, but I really was. Unfortunately, my dislike of the story came from the fact that I felt the first half was filler. I doubt Rocafort and Didlo planned on getting canceled so, of course, they would put in a little filler arc. It can't be all central plot all the time. However, because this is the last volume since it was indeed canceled, it feels like a flimsy waste of time. It reminds me of some of the other choppy writing that has plagued DC since before Rebirth started.
The Seven Soldiers arc seemed pointless and confusing. I get that they needed Derek to save Guardian because he was in the dark multiverse, but it just seemed like the writers crammed so many sidequests for Derek along the way I kept forgetting why the hell he was there. And really, anything with that early New 52 Action Comics Superman never makes much sense to me. Perhaps it's because I felt New 52 Superman all around was confusing.
The killer reveal was fucking horrible. Helen died over this bitch wanting a promotion? THAT'S what we're going with? I would have rather Dark Star Labs and Leto Dominus been the killers. It would have been obvious, but at least Helen wouldn't have died over nothing. I know that sounds fucked up, but I just don't understand why Sandy hit her in the first place.
The first half feels like a waste of time and the second half just builds to disappointment. But the real tragedy here is the potential Derek James has. I know I just shit all over it, but this book could have gone to new, interesting places and it would tie in well with anything to do with the dark multiverse. It's a goddamn shame. Derek is also a person of color, so it sucks to see another POC character's book get cut (Cyborg).
The best I can hope for is that Sideways rifts into a team book.
Also, did Derek really let Sandy die/lowkey kill her???
birdmanseven's review
3.0
I liked this volume less than the first, mostly because it relied too heavily on stuff from Dark Knights Metal. I didn't read much of that story so I ended up being a little lost. This is my constant complaint about DC. I wish they would put in a little time bring you up to speed rather than just assuming everyone has read every single thing they put out.
Regardless, I enjoyed this series at a whole and wish it had more time to grow.
We discussed it more over on Comic Book Coffee Break: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6BjSAAiJQY&feature=emb_logo
Regardless, I enjoyed this series at a whole and wish it had more time to grow.
We discussed it more over on Comic Book Coffee Break: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6BjSAAiJQY&feature=emb_logo
More...