Cyborg #3 Review

Cyborg’s nightmares are full of terrible aliens, all coming to steal his technology and ravage the entire planet.

The worst part is, they’re not just dreams…  Your Major Spoilers review of Cyborg #3 awaits!

CYBORG #3
Writer: David F. Walker
Penciler: Ivan Reis & Eduardo Pansica
Inker: Scott Hanna, Albert Oclair & Ivan Reis
Colorist: Adriano Lucas
Letterer: Corey Breen
Editor: Brian Cunningham
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99

Previously in Cyborg: “Mortally wounded in an explosion, brilliant student and star athlete Victor Stone was saved by a unique combination of technology to transform him into a hybrid of man and machine.  Now, he is the ultimate hero for the digital age!”  After months of mysterious nightmares, Victor Stone has now come to realize that his rapidly evolving technology is somehow giving him visions of the future, as the alien Technosapiens have arrived on Earth…

“IS THIS WHERE YOU TELL ME RESISTANCE IS FUTILE?”

As our story opens, the alien Technosapiens have arrived on Earth, using the advanced technology prosthetics to turn human beings into their footsoldiers.  Cyborg has rallied a small army of his own in Detroit, and manages to at least defend STAR Labs with his own cybernetics and some firearms, but his team is almost overrun by the advanced weaponry of the alien invaders.  Just when things look darkest, Cyborg looks skyward, and says with a relieved smile, “Those are the good guys!”  It’s a perfectly constructed moment by the creative team, followed by a two-page spread of the Metal Men arriving en masse.  I missed the issued of Justice League that they had previous starred in, but I was happy to see that they’re still the same ragtag group of broken responsometers (bar a few cosmetic adjustments that all look like 90s-era WildCATS headgear) as always.  Will Magnus and his robot heroes make the difference for a short time, but Cyborg reveals that the invasion is happening around the world.  Worse still, the cyborgs behind it are the same ones who defeated him at the beginning of the series, led by a VERY familiar face…

THE METAL MEN!

I’m a fan of David F. Walker’s writing (his ‘Shaft’ limited a couple of months ago was top-notch stuff) and I have liked the build in the first couple issues of this book, but this issue shoots into the action sequences, launching us into a full-scale alien invasion in the space of the first two pages.  It’s a bit of an abrupt transition, but once i adjusted to what was happening, I found this issue an enjoyable read.  The big reveal of the face behind one of the aliens helmets is hard for me to understand, leaving me wondering if we’re dealing with a time-travel story, but all in all it’s a good issue.  For an issue that features two pencillers and multiple inking hands in the art, it still manages to remain consistent throughout (an impressive feat), and the designs of the villains are creative and interesting (especially for an army of cybernetic creatures) and the new Cyborg design is still solid.  I especially like how much it evokes the original Perez design from 1980, while staying modern enough to stand with the rest of the post-Flashpoint heroes…

THE BOTTOM LINE: LIKABLE, BUT BUSY

All in all, it’s an issue that ratchets up the action and speeds up the plot by several notches, and while it misses a step or two in the transition, the issue reads okay, albeit with a puzzling final page cliffhanger.  In short, Cyborg #3 maintains the strong streak, with strong character and art making up for pacing missteps, ending up with an above-average 3 out of 5 stars overall.  I’m still onboard with this book, especially in the hopes that Walker will bring in Beast Boy and reunite one of the great buddy comedy teams of DC’s history…