Review – Cyborg: Rebirth #1 (DC Comics)

Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: John Semper Jr.
Artists: Paul Pelletier (Pencils), Sandra Hope & Tony Kordos (Inks), Guy Major (Colours)
Release Date: 7th September 2016

Who the hell is Cyborg? That may well be the question on a lot of new comic fans’ lips at the moment – those just roped in by his fleeting cameo in Dawn of Justice in particular. While for the old-timers amongst us, he’s been a staple of the Justice League for rather a long time, it’s certainly been a while since his precise origins were recounted, and Rebirth was perhaps the perfect moment to remind us just why we should care about the Boom Tube creating badass that is Victor Stone.

And this here? It’s an absolutely perfectly pitched recap from Semper – a finely tuned balance between an action-packed present-day yarn, and flashbacks to the key events that formed our hero. Semper’s script at first glance seems a little too simple – with dialogue seemingly straight out of the ‘mid-battle banter’ generator. But as the issue progresses, and the flashbacks thicken, it becomes increasingly clear that Semper is on a mission to paint Cyborg in a rather more interesting light than he previously might’ve been. Amid the action, there’s questions of the morality behind almost literally being Dr Frankenstein, as well as whether or not a soul can truly be brought back from oblivion, in contrast to just a very convincing facsimile – proper philosophical questions associated with the creation of A.I., with Semper demonstrating enough convincing technical jargon to show that he’s done his research on the matter.

There’s some absolutely terrific work from Pelletier on the pencils front – the action is dynamic, and beautifully rendered, with Hope and Kordos’ inks seamlessly blended together across pages, keeping it all looking beautifully consistent. A big shout out must go out to Major on the colours as well, for imbuing the effects that the linework outlines with a wonderfully impactful palette – in particular, the exact moment of Cyborg’s creation is an explosion of the gorgeously evocative ruby-red that’s become one of his hallmarks.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Cyborg’s origin story – and even for those who are – this is a pretty fantastic rebirth for the character. A fine balance of action and exposition makes for a pacey, satisfying read, and come the end, it’s clear that after this reintroduction, things are going to get really rather interesting. DC’s Rebirth as a whole continues to go from strength to strength, and if you haven’t read a Cyborg book before, now’s the time to start.

Rating: 4/5.

PREVIEW ARTWORK
[Click to Enlarge]