By: Eric Tremblay
Readers will be happy to hear that Cyborg #1 delivers on all the technological puns they ever could dream of!
Sadly there really isn’t much more that Victor Stone can offer. Cyborg’s persona has taken a turn in this new debut. He is now a wise cracking, light hearted hero instead of the dark brooding stick in the mud that he was in the New 52. He still continues to struggle as a Detroit crime fighter, but his attitude is different. The robotic mind of writer, John Semper Jr., just doesn’t seem to really be into its own story as Semper sets up a dull and unimaginative world for a character with so much potential. Maybe he is trying to make the world’s most mechanical comic about DC’s most mechanical character. Time will tell.
However this issue does not just focus on our favorite terminator in training, it also shows Cyborgs teammates at STAR labs. These include, but are not limited to, the over protective dad, his witty assistant, and the extremely smart girl who knows how to solve all of Vic’s problems. I have never been reminded more of the fact that Cyborg is in fact a Cyborg in any medium I have ever seen him in. Whether he was grabbing ice cream, or being taunted by a child for not knowing what love is, or for worrying that jazz music doesn’t give him real feelings because he might not be able to feel it in his robotic soul. I always felt that the writer never gave me a chance to see more subtle hints, and was instead feeding me everything. Even the hints of the story to come and the introduction of, “Kilg%re”, are just so bland, and make me dread the unimaginative puns to come of two robots fighting for a reason that isn’t clear, except because humanity is irrelevant and does not compute.
In terms of artwork, Paul Pelletier, does a fairly good job expressing emotions on the characters (whenever they are allowed to feel), but does not really get any opportunities to really be creative. The design of the new Rebirth Cyborg is not one that really fits his history, as he is now much more streamlined to a human body and less of a machine. The city of Detroit itself should also not be overlooked, as it just feels empty, even for Detroit standards, as if Cyborg and company is pretty much the only people left in the city, save a few mean-spirited kids and a blind existential musician.
Cyborg #1 displays yet again that following a formulaic safe start to a new story is disappointing and does not allow the readers to engage in any aspect of the plot. The artwork tries its best to bring life to a cold comic but sadly there are only so many opportunities to do that.
