Time waits for no one … nor does it obey any man.
Creative Staff:
Writers: Michael Dolce & Talent Caldwell
Artwork: Tony Moy
Colors: Jorge Cortes
Letters: Michael Dolce
What They Say:
There are people on this Earth that do not belong. It’s up to a Chicago detective and a covert, inter-dimensional police force to send them back where they came from!
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
After the fiasco at Paradigm Energy and the disappearance of imposter CEO Franklin Hodge, Detectives Combs and McCallister are not having much luck in finding any clues in solving the case. And now with their suspects gone and the remaining one having regained consciousness, they do not have many avenues left, other than to question her at Chicago P.D. Headquarters, with their captain overseeing the situation. As Dex had no success in having the red-headed prisoner reveal any information, including her name, Nate steps in for his friend, hoping his charm can loosen her tongue. But even his natural charisma cannot ply her secrets, with witty banter going back and forth ceaselessly, until he stumbles upon the topic of the victim, and sees a visible reaction with the mention of Hodge’s name. She knew the man, however with each push Nate cannot pressure her for any new evidence, nor will she state who she works for or even her identity – the investigator is running out of options.
However as Nate continues to question this suspect, the people she works with watch in anticipation, waiting to see if they can gather any information for themselves. Being able to tap into the camera feed helps some, but as they watch the detective, his very existence causes more friction between the members of this mysterious team. It is not until they overhear McCallister talk about being able to see through their cloaking technology and survive being exposed to an exploding energy bubble does he finally warrant attention. Only after alarm klaxons sound due to an anomaly do they take action, but is it wise to assault a police station – not all members are in agreement, but they need to save their teammate. However as the law officers step out of the room to mull over their lack of success, the same mercenaries Nate and Dex encountered at Paradigm Energy make a new appearance within another portal, threatening to take the prisoner away. After a massive shockwave clears the area, McCallister watches helplessly as his friend is blown away and the mysterious duo prepares to vanish in another flash of light. Is there nothing Nate can do … or does he only need to take a leap of faith?
In Summary:
As we become settled into the title known as The Mainstream, after the premiere I was thinking any confusion would be swiftly dismissed, but hopeful wishing has come to naught as writers Michael Dolce and Talent Caldwell further bewilder readers with even more strange concepts. It is odd to begin this issue with someone who was supposedly killed in the first issue, Franklin Hodge – last time was saw him, someone allegedly ate his face and yet now he is alive? To start with a new puzzle and no explanation makes this story more perplexing, and while allowing the audience to piece things together with different clues may sound intriguing, to do it over a limited series does not seem wise if you want to keep them interested. In order for a story to be engaging, it needs to hold your attention from the beginning and not be marred by disorder, such as we are now. Even if this conundrum is explored in the final pages, it is haphazardly executed when you introduce current events, and then shift between these separate storylines, thinking readers can keep up during something which also involves time travel. As if we weren’t puzzled enough, now it feels like this story is interweaving elements from the movies Timecop and Minority Report into a narrative which seems to be drifting between too many components to keep itself coherent.
Even within a perplexing narrative, the illustrative talents of Tony Moy keeps the reader engrossed thanks to his dynamic depictions of characters and environments. The gritty strength of the actors makes you notice the intensity of each panel, but it is Jorge Cortes’ pronounced colors which anchor the images with an organic richness, and yet still makes room for ethereal illuminations which allows us to acknowledge this is an intermingling of present and future. The darkly shadowed expression of each person communicates every idea succinctly, allowing the reader to become engrossed within the telling of the story, and follow the narrative, until we become mired within a shifting transition between varying components of the different factions. However, even then, you cannot fault these wondrous images for serving their purpose – to tell the story visually, within an almost primal brutality, all allowing for the audience to follow the characters into a dark future.
The Mainstream has its moments of clarity, but as you delve deeper into the narrative, it becomes bogged down by trying to balance too many tangential storylines. I want to like this series, but with so many different components jockeying to merge into one focal point, it struggles with conflicting perspectives and elements which seem irrelevant in lieu of seeing the series as a whole. While I can appreciate this overall viewpoint, for the time being, readers are lagging in detail to be able to understand what is being accomplished, and thus for the now, we will just have to wait and see if the title can fulfill the higher standard it has set for itself.
Grade: C+
Age Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: May 30, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
