Just let him die already…Please?
I’m a bit late in getting this week’s review of 52 out. I could blame the whole “time is broken” and really claim this review went up Thursday last week, but I’ll be honest and say time has just got the better of me. Sometimes the drudgery of the real world gets in the way of having fun and reading comics and we get all wound up the running around leaving us breathless. Not in a good way either; leaving me feeling a bit uncomfortable, kind of like Vic as he struggles to stay alive.
Poor Renee. She so wants Charlie to live that she is willing to go to the ends of the Earth to save her friend and partner. She’s had a pretty rough time since coming out of the closet, losing lovers, friends, and partners like Crispus Allen. Since meeting The Question she’s found a new purpose in life and she’s willing to do anything to keep that partnership going. It’s going to be a long tough week…
Meanwhile on Oolong Island, Will Magnus has gone off his meds. Now, normally I wouldn’t condone this kind of action because, well, it just makes everyone and everything a bit…off… For Dr. Magnus the lifting of the drug induced fog actually seems to bring some kind of life back into him, and even though he appears a bit nutty, there is method to his madness.
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It didn’t come to me during the first reading, but on the second read it started to make sense. In order to placate the scientists, their every whim is being catered to. For Magnus that means shipments of canned beans, lead shielding and thousands of thermometers are at his disposal. Yeah, it seems a bit weird indeed until you think about the materials those items are made of; Tin cans, Lead shielding, and presumably Mercury filled thermometers. Yeah, I think cans these days are a mixture of aluminum and steel, while Mercury hasn’t been an ingredient in thermometers in a long time (mine’s digital). Still you see where this could be leading – the creation of new Metal Men.
In order to divert attention from what he is really up to, Magnus has been working on a new Plutonium Man (Ridge Ferris in Australia anyone?) just to prove he can do it right this time. As smart as T.O.Morrow is, one has to wonder if he really is oblivious to what Magnus is up to, or if he is playing along.
Week 38 just happens to be the grand unveiling of The Four Horsemen. While Drs. Magnus, Morrow, Sivana and Cale look on, Chang Tzu/Egg Fu reads from the Crime Bible – the Revelation of Apokolips. As they rise, Tzu describes the Four, giving them names and purpose.
- Yurrd the Unknown – Ruler of the Age of Hunger
- Roggra – Ruler of the Age of War
- Zorrm – Ruler of the Age of Fevers
- Azraeuz – Silent King of the Age of Death
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I only count three Horsemen in the picture and we quickly find out Yurrd, the Unknown rode out before the others. This begs the question, “Who, or what, is Yurrd?” Is it Skeets? He seemed pretty hungry last week when he ate the Phantom Zone, or it could be any of the other power hungry megalomaniacs we’ve seen in 52. My hope is Yurrd is no one we’ve seen before, but is just as bad ass and frightening as the others.
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As crazy as Veronica Cale has been previously, she seems to be genuinely frightened and full of regret for what they have done. Why is her nose suddenly bleeding?
Over at the Ironworks, John Henry and the Teen Titans are trying to figure out what Lex is up to, when they receive a message (in the form of a robotic insect) from Natasha. Her plan is to get as much dirt on Lex as she can, and the only way to do that is to sneak into his secret room. You’re probably already one step ahead of this Infinity Inc.-er in thinking this is one really bad idea.
Let’s wrap up the week by checking back in with Vic and Renee; the morphine is gone, Vic sounds like he is breathing his last, and they are both lost in a blinding snow storm. I’ve read that Nanda Parbat only appears to those who really are meant to find it, and through her wandering in the mountains it’s nowhere to be found.
With his last ounce of strength and sanity Vic explains to Renee that “It isn’t who you are, but who are you going to become? Time to change…”
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The storm clears, Nanda Parbat is right there, and the week ends with a lot of other questions. We know Vic is going to die, the question that remains is how long will DC draw out his long excruciating death? Who is the figure approaching? Could it be one of the Ten, who can cure a disease by the click of his tounge? Is it too late?
The Good
- The Four Horsemen
- Will Magnus’ insanity
The Bad
- The Question storyline is starting to wear a bit thin and if the writers don’t reach a conclusion soon, readers are going to start rolling their eyes each and every time with the thought of “this again?”
This was a relatively quick week as far as the story goes. An update with Oolong Island and Steel were enough to keep me interested, but the majority of the issue was focused on Renee and her struggle to save her friend. There’s nothing wrong with that at all as relationships are the big underlying theme that runs throughout the title. Week 38 was just not the shocking, ground breaking, goose-pimply, thrill ride the last coupe of weeks have been. For that I can only give 52 – Week 38 2.5 Stars.
Parting Shot
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1 Comment
Poor Vic. The saddest part is, as much as I hate to see the character go, I’d have preferred that he DID die at midnight on New Year’s Eve, rather than drag on and on like this…
It’s too much like real illness…