“Gridlock”
Creative Staff:
Story: Peter J. Tomasi
Art: Max Raynor
Colors: Luis Guerrero
Letterer: Rob Leigh
What They Say:
BOOP BOOP BEEP BOOP (that’s computer-talk for “Cyborg is in BIG TROUBLE.”) As Jon and Damian rush to save yet another Justice Leaguer from the death foretold to them upon the dreaded DOOM SCROLL, the super sons had better move quickly! It seems Cyborg has already fallen victim to an attack courtesy of GRID! But remember, if Cyborg finds out the boys saved him, the DOOM SCROLL’s curse will take the life of an innocent…Superboy and Robin won’t let that happen, though. Right?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With it being almost two months since the last issue of the series, it’s definitely been too long as this book is simply a lot of fun. Peter J. Tomasi has put together something that’s admittedly basic in what it’s trying to do, often solving things in a single issue, but has it in a way that’s fun and exciting thanks to the writing and the character dynamics itself. Max Raynor puts in another solid issue in the artwork department as we get to go virtual and that means some good silly fun, such as Jon riding a compu-horse and some goofy digital effects that fit the mindset of both of these kids pretty well. It’s smooth and colorful and the whole thing just clicks perfectly when you get down to it.
With this issue, the guys have already found Cyborg and are looking to get inside him to stop the curse from overtaking him. He’d been at a museum chaperoning some kids at a display about ancient computers when things went south. Luckily for the boys, they were able to put together some VR sets with lots of translucent cable to connect to Victor and get inside him. It’s all very loose and silly, truly comic-book-y in the right ways, as Damian is able to use his “superintelligence” in order to achieve what they need by getting into the virtual world that is Victor Stone. And to try and deal with the problem of the curse destroying him in virtual form as well. It’s very simple in its representation as a towering Cyborg there as his central interface – the meeting of the Cy and the Borg as Jon puts it – but that also leads to the opposite side being the same.
With Grid having gotten a taste of being in control of the full form previously in a Justice League book, being able to take over here through the curse is right up its alley. It’s like a shadow version of Vic in a lot of ways and that puts the boys to combat it as best as they can. The lightness of the approach is right, such as Jon “conjuring” up a horse for him to ride when being told that the imagination is the limit here, but it’s right at who he is because he enjoys watching westerns with his dad and always wanted one. It’s small but effective in showing who he is. At the same time, we get Damian going all high end here in what he’s dealing with, such as coming up with a hokey name for the bomb he implanted in his virtual head here to deal with the curse turned nanotech.
In Summary:
It’s been too long since the last issue and I was going into withdrawals as this is just a lot of fun. The dynamic between the friends is just right and the combination of script and artwork just takes it to the next level. You can imagine that these are the kinds of kids that would get on each other’s nerves but they complement each other almost perfectly and are both in unique enough situations to know few others will be able to understand it. Their dealing with Cyborg works out well, though it looks like it’s going to raise some flags going by the end page, and we might see some other characters show up soon. The next one on the list is Aquaman and that ought to be a lot of fun in seeing how it comes together and just what the curse will attempt to do with them.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: March 15th, 2021
MSRP: $0.99
