SY
      ate
      We
      ry
      >
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Arts
      and
      Entertainment
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Trent
      Drake
     
     
      Cyber
      Force
      #5-7
     
     
      Image
      Comics
     
     
      Art
      by
      Marc
      Silvestri
     
     
      Story
      by
      Eric
      Silvestri
     
     
      Another
      day,
      another
      artist-turned-fan-favorite
      who
      thinks
      he’s
     
     
      Jack
      Kirby.
     
    

    
     
      Marc
      Silvestri
      became
      a
      fan
      favorite
     
     
      for
      his
      work
      on
      Marvel
      Comics’
      Wolverine.
     
     
      His
      run
      on
      that
      high-profile
      book
      included
      the
     
     
      first
      appearance
      of
      the
      notoriously
      silly
      cyborg
     
     
      duo
      of
      Elsie-Dee
      and
      Albert.
      Elsie-Dee
      (lcd)
     
     
      and
      Albert
      were
      a
      cyborg
      bomb
      in
      the
      form
      of
     
     
      a
      cute
      little
      girl
      and
      a
      clone
      of
      Wolverine,
     
     
      respectively.
      And
      in
      a
      way,
      Silvestri’s
      still
     
     
      doing
      those
      characters
      in
      his
      own
      book,
      Cyber
     
     
      Force.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Cyber
      Force
      is
      a
      team
      of
      mutants
     
     
      who
      were
      cybernetically
      enhanced
      by
      an
      evil
     
     
      corporation
      named
      Cyberdata.
      Once
      they
     
     
      broke
      free
      of
      their
      programming,
      they
      de-
     
     
      cided
      to
      become
      a
      force
      for
      good
      in
      the
      world
     
     
      by
      blowing
      up
      bad
      guys
      and
      talking
      in
     
     
      pseudo-military
      fashion
      whenever
      possible.
     
     
      Thus
      was
      born
      a
      team
      of
      covert
      operatives
     
     
      named...
      well,
      you
      know.
     
    

    
     
      This
      book
      is
      bad.
      Silvestri
      (the
      artist)
     
     
      makes
      all
      kinds
      anatomical
      mistakes,
      and
      his
     
     
      facial
      close-ups
      are
      quite
      gruesome.
      The
     
     
      artwork
      is
      typical
      Image
      stuff
      full
      of
      bulging,
     
     
      over-detailed,
      hyper-muscular
      males
      and
      and
     
     
      blatantly
      underclad,
      over-developed,
      hyper-
     
     
      mammary
      females.
      The
      men
      look
      like
      action
     
     
      figures
      and
      the
      women
      look
      like
      they’re
      pos-
     
     
      ing
      for
      a
      cheesecake
      calendar.
      In
      Silvestri’s
     
     
      defense,
      he
      does
      draw
      some
      pretty
      mean-
     
     
      looking
      machinery.
      It
      don’t
      make
      up
      for
      the
     
     
      other
      stuff,
      but
      it’s
      cool
      enough
      on
      its
      own.
     
    

    
     
      The
      plot,
      on
      the
      other
      hand,
      has
      noth-
     
     
      ing
      going
      for
      it.
      It’s
      loaded
      with
      cliches,
      bad
     
     
      characterization
      and
      over-abundant
      captions.
      Cyber
      Force
     
     
      assaults
      a
      temple,
      it
      blows
      up,
      then
      they
      go
      after
      another
      temple,
     
     
      and
      it
      blows
      up
      too.
      Pretty
      simple...
      but
      everything
      is
      so
      over-
     
     
      written
      as
      to
      render
      it
      incomprehensible.
      And
      the
      characters!
     
     
      The
      best
      ofthem,
      Velocity,
      is
      sixteen
      years
      old
      and
      displays
      way
     
     
      too
      much
      of
      her
      body.
      Ripclaw
      is
      a
      rip-off
      ofboth
      WildC.A.T.s’
     
     
      Warblade
      and
      X-Men’s
      Wolverine.
      The
      rest
      are
      forgettable
     
     
      Cable
      clones.
     
    

    
     
      The
      one
      special
      thing
      about
      this
      comic
      is
      its
      inovvative
     
     
      use
      of
      computer
      colouring
      to
      create
      very
      nice
      special
      effects.
     
     
      Velocity
      is
      the
      first
      speedster
      to
      benefit
      from
      the
      new
      computer
     
     
      colouring,
      and
      hopefully
      she
      won’t
      be
      the
      last.
     
    

    
     
      A
      bad
      attempt
      to
      cross
      the
      X-Men
      with
      the
      A-Team,
     
     
      Cyber
      Force
      rates
      a
      solid
      F.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "Prodigal"
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      cross-over
      storyline
      running
      through
      the
      Batman
      books
     
     
      DC
      Comics
      (various
      artists
      and
      writers)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      22,
      1994
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
        
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      the
      aftermath
      of
      the
      memorably
      bad
      "Knightfall,"
     
     
      "Knightquest,"
      and
      "Knight’s
      End"
      storylines
      comes
      this
      tale
      of
     
     
      comic
      books
      gone
      right.
     
    

    
     
      When
      Bruce
      Wayne
      had
      his
      back
      broken
      by
      Bane,
      he
     
     
      asked
      the
      new
      hero
      in
      town,
      Jean
      Paul
      Valley
      (Azreal),
      to
     
     
      replace
      him
      as
      Batman.
      Unfortunately,
      Azbats
      (as
      the
      trade
     
     
      ¥
      went
     
    
   
   
    
     
      iN
     
     
      Ne
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      magazines
      have
      dubbed
      him)
      was
      a
      violent,
      obsessed
      individual
     
     
      more
      inspired
      by
      Image’s
      sales
      figures
      than
      by
      any
      kind
      of
     
     
      coherent
      plot
      development.
      His
      murderous,
      take-no-prisoners
     
     
      style
      horrified
      everyone.
      Alfred
      quit
      the
      mansion,
      Robin
      was
     
     
      kicked
      out
      of
      the
      Batcave,
      and
      several
      crooks
      got
      killed
      by
      low-
     
     
      hanging
      captions.
      Eventually,
      a
      recovered
      Bruce
      Wayne
      had
      to
     
     
      return
      and
      take
      the
      Bat
      mantle
      from
      Valley,
      thus
      restoring
      the
     
     
      Batman
      to
      his
      former
      glory.
     
    

    
     
      Or
      did
      he?
     
    

    
     
      Bruce
      has
      decided
      that
      he
      can’t
      take
      this
      Batman
      stuff
     
     
      anymore.
      He
      wants
      to
      live
      a
      life
      without
      the
      Batman.
      But
      he
     
     
      knows
      he
      can’t
      leave
      Gotham
      without
      a
      protector.
      So
      he
      turns
     
     
      the
      Bat
      legacy
      over
      to
      the
      man
      who
      should
      have
      gotten
      it
      in
      the
     
     
      first
      place:
      Dick
      Grayson,
      a.k.a.
      Nightwing,
      a.k.a.
      the
      original
     
     
      Robin.
      Thus
      begins
      one
      of
      the
      neatest
      Batman
      story
      arcs
      of
     
     
      recent
      years.
     
    

    
     
      The
      premise
      of
      this
      story
      is
      intriguing,
      to
      say
      the
      least.
     
     
      The
      position
      of
      Robin
      was
      created
      so
      that
      Batman
      could
      train
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      young
      person
      to
      take
      his
      place,
      and
      this
      is
      the
      first
      time
      a
      Robin
     
     
      has
      ever
      graduated.
      The
      trouble
      is,
      Dick
      has
      never
      been
      a
      very
     
     
      confident
      crime-fighter.
      As
      Nightwing,
      he
      was
      constantly
     
     
      trying
      to
      measure
      up
      to
      the
      Batman
      and
      never
      quite
      succeeded.
     
     
      Now
      that
      he
      is
      Batman,
      he’s
      still
      trying
      to
      live
      up
      to
      it...
      but
      the
     
     
      pressure
      is
      even
      worse,
      and
      the
      stakes
      are
      much
      higher.
     
    

    
     
      Other
      characters
      have
      also
      reacted
      badly
      to
      the
     
     
      Batman
      identity
      crisis.
      Commisioner
      Gordon,
      the
     
     
      original
      Batman’s
      greatest
      advocate,
      is
      losing
      his
     
     
      trust
      in
      the
      cowled
      vigilante,
      and
      his
      anxiety
      over
     
     
      who’s
      wearing
      the
      mask
      now
      is
      ruining
      his
      mar-
     
     
      riage.
     
    

    
     
      And
      to
      top
      it
      all
      off,
      my
      favorite
      villian,
      Two-
     
     
      Face,
      has
      been
      released
      by
      a
      computer
      error.
      Asa
     
     
      result,
      his
      famous
      dual
      nature
      has
      found
      a
      new
     
     
      outlet:
      computers,
      which
      run
      on
      binary
      code.
      Two
     
     
      numbers,
      one
      and
      zero,
      defining
      an
      entire
      uni-
     
     
      verse.
      Two-Face
      latches
      on
      to
      this
      interesting
     
     
      philosophical
      idea
      with
      tremendous
      zeal,
      and
     
     
      nearly
      brings
      Gotham
      to
      its
      knees
      by
      messing
      with
     
     
      the
      police
      database.
     
    

    
     
      Now,
      this
      is
      the
      way
      a
      comic
      book
      should
      read.
     
     
      I’ve
      read
      eight
      parts
      of
      this
      ten-to-twleve
      part
      serics
     
     
      and
      I
      can’t
      wait
      to
      see
      how
      it
      turns
      out.
      I
      know
      from
     
     
      the
      trade
      magazines
      that
      Dick
      will
      give
      the
      mantle
     
     
      back
      to
      Bruce,
      but
      when?
      How?
      Will
      the
      redefin-
     
     
      ing
      of
      Two-Face
      last?
      Can
      Gordon
      save
      his
     
    

    
     
      marraige?
      Can
      Batman
      win
      back
      the
      trust
      he’s
     
     
      lost?
      Can
      Robin
      continue
      to
      fight
      crime
      when
      his
     
     
      father
      is
      trying
      to
      bond?
      I’m
      going
      to
      have
      to
      stay
     
     
      tuned.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Now
      that
      the
      story
      is
      out
      of
      the
      way,
      let’s
      talk
     
     
      about
      artwork.
      Since
      the
      story
      runs
      through
      four
     
     
      different
      Batman
      books
      (Batman,
      Detective
      Com-
     
     
      ics,
      Shadow
      of
      the
      Bat,
      Robin),
      that
      means
      at
      least
     
     
      four
      different
      art
      teams.
      Three
      of
      them
      are
      despet-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ee
      ae
      ately
      trying
      to
      be
      Norm
      Breyfogle
      but
      falling
      short.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      don’t
      understand
      why
      DC
      lets
      these
      middling
      art
     
     
      teams
      handle
      their
      best
      character.
     
    

    
     
      However,
      I
      will
      lavish
      both
      praise
      and
      criticism
     
     
      on
      Phil
      Jimenez,
      who
      pencils
      Robin.
      The
      bad
      news
      first:
      he
     
     
      draws
      Robin
      with
      bulging,
      slick
      muscles
      that
      are
      completely
     
     
      inappropriate.
      But
      the
      good
      part
      is
      that
      this
      guy
      could,
      with
      2
     
     
      little
      more
      work,
      be
      the
      second
      coming
      of
      George
      Perez.
      He
     
     
      draws
      excellent
      figures,
      faces
      and
      backgrounds
      in
      a
      classical
     
     
      style.
      It’s
      a
      refreshing
      antidote
      for
      a
      guy
      who
      has
      read
      one
      too
     
     
      many
      Image
      comics.
     
    

    
     
      One
      minor
      complaint
      that
      has
      nothing
      to
      do
      with
      art
      of
     
     
      story:
      I
      hate
      multi-book
      cross-overs.
      Trying
      to
      keep
      track
      of
     
     
      what
      part
      is
      in
      which
      book
      and
      then
      tracking
      them
      down
      is
     
     
      damned
      tiring,
      to
      say
      nothing
      of
      what
      it
      does
      to
      each
      book's
     
     
      continuity.
      This
      isn’t
      really
      a
      problem
      with
      Batman,
      but
      tty
     
     
      reading
      an
      X-Men
      crossover
      sometime!
     
    

    
     
      And
      now,
      the
      best
      part:
      The
      whole
      "Prodigal"
      story
      is
     
     
      still
      available
      off
      the
      rack
      for
      a
      low
      cover
      price.
      Treat
      yoursel!
     
     
      to
      one
      of
      the
      best
      thought-out
      story
      arcs
      in
      recent
      comics
      history:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      —10