Written by Bryan Hill
Illustrated by N. Steven Harris
Published by DC Comics
This comic has been impressing me since it’s inception. It has a strong story each month by Bryan Hill (and Warren Ellis). Together they have created these alternative versions of the DC Universe that Michael Cray goes up against. We have seen totally cracked out versions of the Flash and Aquaman, for example.
This is the third part of a storyline that pits Cray against strange versions of Wonder Woman and John Constantine. Constantine has a plan, you see. He’s going to provide the world with free energy. That will in turn, destroy the entire planet. And of course, Cray wants to kill him to save the world. But there is another wrinkle that Hill puts in.
It seems that if Cray kills Constantine and his cohorts, then there will be bad consequences.
The alien entity that is residing in Cray’s brain might be staying there trapped forever if that happens. Hill makes the drama as exciting as the action.
My favorite scene in the book is the first scene between Cray and Wonder Woman. She puts Michael in his place right away. The power dynamic in the scene switches back and forth within these three pages. There is a tense discussion. The best line comes when Diana asks if Cray is mocking her. He responds that he is “mocking madness.” I thought it was super cool.
Cray eventually confronts Constantine and they come to an agreement. But then something happens between them. And that leads to the craziest last page of the series thus far. It’s a cliffhanger. And it’s scary as hell.
That last page is also an amazingly well drawn splash page. Harris nails the page perfectly as well as the entire art duties of the book. I’m at the edge of my seat. The next issue can’t come fast enough.
RATING: A
