52 – Week 43 – Family Matters

I could go for a little bite, how about you?

Kids tend to be pretty messed up, especially when it comes to guilt. Whether it is the guilt of stealing, telling a fib, or some other negligible action, it can really mess with a kid’s mind. No one is more messed up than Osiris over killing a member of the suicide squad. What’s a demi-god to do? Any other guilt ridden kid would run off to confession, and everything would be cleared up with a couple of prayers, but I don’t think that’s going to work here.

Osiris is under the impression everything bad happening in Kahndaq is the result of killing someone while trying to project his sister. Instead of taking the time to really investigate what is going on, he decides to take his favorite talking crocodile and make a visit to the Rock of Eternity.

If you have been following the various message boards readers have been pointing out Sobek just hasn’t been sitting well with them, and this issue reveals why. More on that in a bit, but for now I will say it is interesting that Sobek seems like he’s been hitting the roids really hard these last couple of weeks and is pretty bulked up.

When the duo arrives at the Rock of Eternity, Captain Marvel, Marvel Jr. and Mary Marvel are all waiting to confront Osiris. While Freddy complains about the Department of Metahuman affairs investigating the Teen Titans for possible links to terrorism, Mary decides to play devil’s advocate and side with Osiris claiming it was done in self defense. Captain Marvel, obviously able to control the Sins and keep his sanity, asks what he can do to help.

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Oh, oh! Best not run off to seek comfort with your brother-in-law’s arch enemy. Isis and Black Adam found the open passage from Kahndaq and try to convince Osiris to return to deal with problems in the homelands. Instead of going along quietly, Osiris lashes out attacking Black Adam directly. It takes all of Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel’s strength to keep Black Adam from taking his belt to the brat.

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Throughout this sequence I can’t help but love the art and the attention to the placement of the Sins in the background, as each appears to be taking great joy in the turmoil erupting in the chamber. It is also interesting to pay close attention to Sobek in these panels and the look on his face. In retrospect, it is really telling me what I should have noticed months ago.

While Captain Marvel and Mary struggle to get Black Adam under control, Freddy and Isis try to restrain Osiris. This doesn’t go so well, and as Osiris breaks free, he conks Isis, causing her to bleed. The realization he is out of control is enough to calm everyone down and Black Adam and Isis are able to convince Osiris the best place to deal with all of this is at home. There’s even a great exchange between Black Adam and Osiris where Adam explains that Osiris has more than made up for the killing and even thanks the boy for helping him change his outlook on life to move from a despot to a true leader.

As they all head home, Sobek once more complains he is hungry (again) saying how much he would like some hummus and lamb. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but in my house, whenever we eat hummus (and we do it quite often), we do a play on words and call it humans instead. Again, another telling sign of what is to come.

As much as we’ve all been expecting a confrontation between Osiris and Black Adam, I really wonder why it had to take place at the Rock of Eternity. Billy, Freddy, and Mary, while very important characters, are just bit-players in this scene serving little to no purpose. This same confrontation could have taken place in a Kahndaq palace with the same outcome. Having the confrontation in the Rock of Eternity seems to further the problems with the Sins and also introduces the Rock of Finality, which causes me to wonder if these items will play a much larger role in either Countdown, the on-going Trials of Shazam!, or some other series yet to come.

Much later in the week, Osiris tells Sobek that he still needs to leave the country if everything is to improve. Instead of running off, Sobek suggests Osiris say the magic words to remove his powers and return to his human state. Osiris agrees, knowing his inability to walk will serve as his penance.

As soon as he does return to his fragile human form, Sobek reveals his true nature.

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Yup, Sobek is the Fourth Horseman – Famine. And like a hungry crocodile lurking the Nile for its food, Sobek bided his time waiting for the perfect moment to attack. As the bumbling sidekick, Sobek has been able to spend quite a bit of time with the Black Adam family, observing how things work in Kahndaq, and most importantly discovering everyone’s weaknesses – a spy from within. Things are going to get really interesting next week when it’s Black Adam and Isis against the combined force of The Four Horsemen.

Osiris is dead, and I have to say, I’m not sorry to see him go. For months readers were engrossed in finding Adrianna’s brother, then they had to spend an equal amount of time listening to the super power go all emo, whining and complaining about how his life sucks and no one understands him save for his also misunderstood talking crocodile. As much as some people are going miss Osiris, I say good riddance. He got what he deserved. Heroes should be on their guard and anticipate attacks from enemies at any time. Osiris biting the big one – or rather Osiris getting bitten by the big one – just proves the argument made by the JSA and Steel months ago when they said these young kids today just aren’t ready to handle the responsibility of using their powers.

Animal Man is a hero we thought was dead, but the sudden reappearance of the yellow aliens who originally modified his genes to take on the abilities of animals, gave us new hope. This week we see the aliens working on Buddy and reinserting him back into the continuum. I guess we are to assume the yellow aliens live outside of the DC universe, which seems to further push the idea of a fourth (wall) world out there pulling certain strings.

When the aliens “restart” Buddy, they leave him where he was found with his space dolphin powers fading fast. As the vacuum of space begins to take its toll, Buddy reaches way Way WAAAAYYYY out and finds the Sun Eaters.

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Looks like he’s on his way home for sure this time. I just hope he doesn’t have to stop at Alpha Centauri for a quick snack.

The other big reveal this week is the resurrection of Lady Styx. The mindless zombie army is still moving through space and we find one of the inhabitants of Vardu very preggers and like a scene from Aliens, a new Lady Styx is born (full sized to boot!).

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I wonder if the Lady Styx/Captain Comet “rebirths” in 52 were done just to cover a possible mistake in Mystery in Space, or if it was planned all along? If it was planned, then no matter how many times Comet or Styx die, they will always be able to reappear by ejecting their consciousness or respawning in the innards of one of her victims. This constant restarting of previously dead characters is starting to get a little old. I like how DC has been able to keep Barry Allen dead for all these years, making this a true sacrifice on the part of the character. But with Countdown just around the corner, DC may be breaking that standing rule, and erasing any chance of death in the DCU. It would be really great if from now on a death would either be a) a permanent death and eradication of the character in current continuity or b) any death of a character is on an alternate Earth and not part of regular continuity. I think all of these death and rebirth of characters is going to anger and turn off readers in the long run.

The Good

• Reveal of the Fourth Horseman
• The death of Osiris
• Buddy Baker’s improved powers

The Bad

• Rebirth of Lady Styx
• Reveal of the Forth Horseman

52 is quickly reaching its conclusion and with World War III just around the corner, some loose ends need to be wrapped up, and quickly. I understand the “Sobek is evil” plot was necessary to get Black Adam all worked up again and as a trigger for a third world war, but I was hoping Osiris could have gone out as more of a hero. His death here is going to raise the ire of Black Adam enough, but not enough for a whole world war. To really push him over the edge, I have a feeling Isis is soon to join her brother. This issue was slightly better than average simply for its shock value and reveal. Because of this, I’ll give 52 – Week 43 a 3 Star Rating.

Parting Shot

“Oh Sobek.”