Written by Eric Tremblay
Now before I begin, in full disclosure, I knew nothing of the previous adventures of Midnighter nor Apollo, and dove right into this story with an open mind. With that said, I can say I did honestly enjoy the majority of what I not only read but saw as well. What I cannot say is the character, Midnighter, is honestly original, pretty much a mix between Batman and Deathstroke, with just a hint of Red Hood. Apollo, practically a sun mini-god, whose powers are undetermined to me, but he continues the theme of blending established characters together to create a slightly new one, Superman, and Captain Atom. Even the villain, Henry, seems to be a cross between Lex Luthor, and the Joker! Probably more Luthor, but he apparently did tear out Midnighter’s bones, so I like to think that would make the Joker laugh.
Exploring, Midnighter’s brief personal life with somewhat boyfriend, Apollo, was a more fresh approach to a dynamic duo. Their ideals are apparent, and could not be more different, but behind the mask, they seem to get along, adding a nice layer of conflict. They often contemplate the struggle all heroes’ face of whether or not killing their enemies is the right thing. Midnighter being part Red Hood believes his enemies need to die, and Apollo, being part Boy Scout, disagrees. Once again, not necessarily original, but Steve Orlando does add some more satisfying twist to keep the reader compelled to the end.
All of the action scenes are complimented with, Fernando Blanco’s great attention to detail, and his design of the overall characters are probably my highlight for this comic. There is even a great opening train sequence that diehard Mad Max fans would be proud to witness.
Overall, I don’t believe this comic is completely original, it does offer a twist to the status quo, with help from some great artwork, and opens up a world I do want to explore some more, however I will remain skeptical that it will hold my attention for long.
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