Childhood is precious … you never know what you had until you lose it.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Rob Williams
Penciller: Aaron Lopresti
Inker: Matt Ryan
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
What They Say:
Dorno of the Herculoids – now a grown adult-has been granted godlike powers … and may be the most powerful being in the universe … and it seems the boy he once was is gone forever. Has he forgotten his parents and the heritage of the Herculoids? And why is the equally godlike entity Animan eager to become a mentor to the new Dorno?
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Now with the dying remains of Amzot far behind them, Animan has shown the new god Dorno what he is capable of … and he is not done yet. As they explore the vastness of space, the former Herculoid forgets all the suffering he left behind on his former planet, too caught up in the excitement of a new universe now open to his whims. Racing through the vacuum between worlds, the two are too preoccupied with endless possibilities, and yet it all comes to a sudden halt. It not until they witness a black hole does Dorno hesitate on entering the blackness of this anomaly, too afraid of confronting the death he sees symbolized by the void. Even if they are immortal, he still misses what he gave up for these new powers: a chance to make his own choices, home and most of all – family. Returning to the collapsing planet, he looks for any remnants of his former life, only to see baby Tundro floating lifeless where left him. Only now does Dorno realize he has been tricked, his feelings manipulated by Animan for his own pleasure, and to make it up to his friend, he foolishly asks where he wants to go to next.
With a blinding flash and echoes of Animan’s screams, the two are transported to the one place this companion did not wish to go – his own homeworld. As their eyes readjust, the two boys find themselves amidst many other gods, but they are visually very different, much larger than themselves. However even as Dorno attempts to ask for help, Animan protests and tells him they are leaving, but the pair is frozen in place by a familiar being, stopping any means of escape. It is only then does the Herculoid realize this man and woman standing next to him are the two people his friend was trying to run from … Animan’s parents – his divine teacher is just a child! Now fully seeing the reality he has been forced to face, Dorno lashes out at the person who is suspended next to him, suddenly recognizing this brat tempted him with trials for the same reason, they both wanted to make their own choices. However now that he can see the truth, how will he rectify the problems and will certain parents take responsibility for their wayward child?
In Summary:
As we finally conclude this clichéd Herculoids story arc, writer Rob Williams’ idea to combine teenage angst, supreme powers and an urge for a child to make his own choices end with a very predictable and saccharine conclusion. From the start this premise was very familiar: to give a person godlike powers and see what happens when events are used to motivate the subject, but it always ends in the same manner – they see the error of their ways and give up on these gifts. The examples I remember the most using this principle are from the popular science fiction show Star Trek, within episodes Where No Man Has Gone Before and Charlie X and then in the later franchise, Star Trek: The Next Generation, we have the same theme used in Hide and Q and True Q. In each of these shows, they have a normal person granted divine powers, able to do anything they wish and then have their principles compromised by some outside force which later causes them to give up or be consumed by those same abilities, very similar or exact to this narrative. To see this literary trope used in comics may have seemed original, but those familiar with the idea saw what Williams was working toward, and in the end, we are left with the disappointing sense of déjà vu, even as he tried to shift components around, the tale remains the same and gives the reader a hallow sense of accomplishment.
However, all throughout this formularized narrative, it was the phenomenal artwork of Aaron Lopresti who was able to create such a sensational canvas, all with dynamic inks by Matt Ryan which visually stuns the reader to think they were able to create such an unbelievable epic within the rigid confines of limited pages. To begin this finale with a euphoric expression on Dorno’s face is captivating, as this team communicates the ecstasy which the viewer receives in seeing the childlike joy one would expect in seeing the universe from such a unique perspective. This is the sensation they propagate with such strongly depicted portrayals from our hero, to see him emotionally suffer as he realizes every step of the plan was for Animan’s own gain, only now recognizing his own mistakes contributed to the fiasco they are now in, and it is their responsibility to clean up his own mess. And yet none of these panels would have such fantastic impact without the enticing colors of Hi-Fi, his skill which elevates the artwork into something graphically spectacular, bringing a sense of unbelievable realism, but with the tangible danger associated within this Hollywood style atmosphere. There is a richness to his palette: from the cold blackness of space which he somehow is able to illuminate with such simple techniques, to the sorrowful devastation on Amzot that has its own agony, almost expecting the world itself to cry out in pain and finally the world of Animan, that of light and brilliance, which seems contradictory to the anger which its son feels in not being able to do what he wants … all these components amalgamate into beauty forged from suffering. This synergy of artistic talents combines to form a menagerie of excellence, coalescing into a stage which presents satisfying entertainment on such a visually pleasing scale.
Although the narrative itself was unsurprising and the outcome was trite in its obvious conclusion, it is the undeniable skill of the artistic team which salvages this issue from mediocrity. To have such a banal attempt in creating a tale which sets an underused character to the forefront may have seemed original, but when the hero is maneuvered into such transparent traps it creates a vacuum which sucks out all the excitement in what could have been a memorable moral story, it thereby loses all of its built up credibility. I wanted to like this arc, but due to predictable tangents it falls short of anything memorable and the only reason to reread this sequence is to absorb yourself within the brilliance of its depiction … and that in itself is reason enough.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: DC Comics
Release Date: June 20, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
