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Review: Convergence Action Comics #2

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cac002If there is one single issue which can be said to encapsulate the problems which have befallen Convergence then this issue could rightfully be said to be it.  Convergence has had many problems, but perhaps key among them have been the ripping off of previous standalone and standout Elseworlds titles as well as not taking the time nor the effort to ensure that these characters are treated correctly.  Though this issue is best read in sequence by following into an issue which came out two weeks ago (another strange out of continuity reading experience) it is also made worse by the reading of Convergence #8 in this same week.

As introduced in the last issue, a team of heroes, something like the pre-Crisis version of Superman and Power Girl are forced to fight against the Red Son version of Superman and Wonder Woman.  This has been a problem elsewhere during Convergence as characters which exist in other universes as analogies or allegories to what they mean as heroes, are thereafter reduced to alternate versions of themselves in slugfests in Convergence.  This issue has the same overall problem as the two heroes venture to the Elseworld where Superman is an agent of the Soviet Union, and where we learn that it is not wise to listen to either Lex Luthor or Joseph Stalin (which has to be one of the strangest lessons ever.)

In the end there are a host of problems with the entire series, and this part of Convergence is worse off for having been associated with it.   In a certain context it is interest to see all of these characters together, but especially when read with other Convergence titles and also when considering the plan for the future releases of DC Comics this summer, then we learn that this short two month interlude has really mostly meant nothing.  It never excelled and only acted as a distraction from the regular titles from DC.  This issue captures that, and it is too bad that it couldn’t have captured something better.

Story: Justin Gray Art: Claude St. Aubin
Story: 5.8 Art: 5.8 Overall: 5.8 Recommendation: Pass

Review: Convergence Action Comics #1

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convergence-action001By this point it would seem that Convergence is a bit of a misfire.  Though it is still only setting up the battles between the various saved universes/cities in their own continuities, there has been very little to grab the attention of the readers save for a somewhat flawed trip down memory lane.  As Convergence looks to grab the best of the past and put it into DC’s future, it is not entirely clear if this is even a good idea, as so far the crossover is convoluted and mostly pretty boring.

Although the Action Comics version of the crossover is maybe not much different, it is still indicative of bigger problems which the crossover faces.  The first of these problems can be generally classified as a lack of interest in the characters.  Though they are mostly DC characters, they are also ones who are from a time and place which is already lost thanks to the continued evolution of the characters in their own mainstream titles.  While we might get a chance to see other heroes here such as Power Girl in a presumably pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths setting, it is arguable that her best moments even came before the original crossover.  The other problem is the selection of the cities which are being used to compete against the highlighted cities.  In other cases the other cities have been boring or non-engaging, but in this case the city actually works to debase a great Elseworld tale, Red Son.  This works against the Convergence - Action Comics001series as well because it takes what was an allegory of the hero genre, especially as it relates to the American identity, and turns it into any other superhero story.  The lone spot of interest in this issue was with Power Girl, as she has to learn to deal with a non-Kryptonian physiology in the depowered Metropolis.

The entirety of Convergence to this point seems like it has missed the mark, and it is no different in the Action Comics version of the crossover.  Although fans often clamour for the return of beloved characters that have gone away over controversial creative or editorial choices, if DC promises to do something like Convergence to bring back these characters, then the fans might just prefer that they stay gone.  The Action Comics is not either really good nor bad compared to the other titles thus far, but that most of the others have been misfires is not good for this particular issue to be considered average among them.  A lot more could have been done here, both with this individual series and with the crossover as a whole, but it is mostly forgettable, somewhat as most of the characters involved should have been.

Story: Justin Gray Art: Claude St. Aubin
Story: 6.0 Art: 6.0 Overall: 6.0 Recommendation: Pass