Convergence #4 Review

Okay Convergence, I don’t like you, and you don’t like me, but let’s see if we can find some common ground this week. Okay?

CONVERGENCE #4
Writer: Jeff King
Artist: Stephen Segovia
Inker: various
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99

Previously in Convergence: Our heroes from Earth-2 have decided to follow Deimos below ground to see if they can stop Telos. Meanwhile, Thomas Wayne commits the Ultimate Sacrifice, and comics will never be the same again!

JOIN US, AND LIVE IN PEACE…

Telos is totally misunderstood. You see, he doesn’t want to kill anyone, he only wants the strong to survive. If heroes and cities fall, it’s really their own fault. Telos is just this guy… While I appreciate the logic argument that Dick Grayson has with Telos in this issue, Telos believes he is unable to alter his programming, although Dick proves that Telos is factually wrong again and again in the issue. There is a moment where Telos seems to indicate that cities and heroes could come together to find another solution, but then flips it back to the death to the weak trope. The four year old logic Telos expresses and shows in this issue is really far below anything one would expect from a Big Bad. Overall, the Grayson/Telos dialogue feels more like filler and a way for new readers to get caught up on what is going on. This only serves as another example of why DC really needs to get on board the Previously In… pages at the beginning of the issue.

Last issue Deimos appeared, promising a solution to everyone’s problem, but if the giant neon sign flashing Heal Turn didn’t give you a hint of what was to come, then it hits you over the head here. Bad guys are bad guys after all. While the time travel resolution came sooner than I thought it would, and some of the great ones appear to be wiped out in a single page, the end reveal in the issue is going to pit father against son (metaphorically), soon. Which is really odd. While much of the issue feels like filler, this issue also feels like a second to last chapter of an event book. Considering there are four more issues to go, that isn’t a good thing unless Jeff King has something else up his sleeve. At this point, I suspect Grayson will find his son, and the two will live happily ever after.

…OR PURSUE YOUR PRESENT COURSE AND FACE OBLITERATION

I don’t know the reason for it (my guess is deadline issues), but there are no less than seven inkers on this issue. On the plus side, the inking switch is most notable when the story flips from one major location to another, which makes it feel like an artistic decision more than anything else. While I despise the dialogue between Telos and Dick Grayson, the layout and art in those pages is really well done. Even the final page reveal seems grand, and it is a page that I needed to look at several times to get all the little bits thrown in for flair.

BOTTOM LINE: I REALLY WANT TO LIKE YOU

Last week’s issue was one that got me interested in what Convergence could be. I really went into this issue hoping it was going to be better than the last, but sadly, it just feels empty. While Crisis on Infinite Earths did feature many pages of events going on in other tie-in issues, here, it feels forced and out of place. On the plus side, if you are only reading Convergence, you are getting everything you need. While Convergence could be a major change for the DCU, it is coming off as a desperate attempt to bring back old readers, while alienating the new fan base the publisher has worked really hard to grow over the last few years. Pick up Convergence #4 if you have read the previous three and want to see how it all comes together, but skip it if you think now might be a good time to jump on board.