In many ways, Heroes Reborn is like solving a mystery. The main series only details what the personality is of each member of the new superhero team of the world the Squadron Supreme. Through the one-shots, we’ve been able to glean an understanding of what has happened to the heroes we know. It’s usually bleak. Case in point, Heroes Reborn: Weapon X & Final Flight #1, a new one-shot by Ed Brisson and Roland Boschi, reveals what Wolverine and the heroes of Canada have been up to.
This book opens with Wolverine, now known as Weapon X, explaining through captions why the Squadron Supreme are out to kill him and the Canadian super-team known as Final Flight. Killing the team leader of a superhero team will do that to you, and soon we see how these Canadian heroes end up losing a battle where they even had the upper hand. Much of this book is about their running, and hiding, from the Squadron Supreme who is vicious, unrelenting, and out for revenge.
This allows Brisson to detail exposition at opportune times that reveals what happened to key figures in the Marvel universe. It’s a clever way to add intrigue and tension to a book that’s set up to inform us of where some of our favorite heroes have gone. It also allows Brisson the chance to let these characters talk while in hiding so as to reveal how their lives have changed since the Avengers never existed. If you’re at all interested in alternate realities or how a character’s character — and here, their spirit — can change, this book is for you.
So far, this event has made the Squadron Supreme out to be morally corrupt, but maybe not totally evil in every case. This issue pretty much solidifies the evil part, though, as most of them are totally fine torturing or murdering without batting an eyelash. If you were questioning how bad they were, this issue solidifies it.
If you attribute Nighthawk to being Batman…Wolverine just got beat by Batman!
Credit: Marvel Comics
If you’re unfamiliar with these characters, you’ll likely have less interest. Shaman, Claire Hudson, Wolverine, and Sasquatch make up much of the team, some of which are more obscure than others. Wolverine was the main draw for me, for instance, but the lives of these other characters weren’t all that compelling due to my lack of interest.
This issue also could have used a handy roll call to tell us who’s who, as it requires you to pay close attention to names being said to gather who these people are. Walter aka Sasquatch, for instance, doesn’t look like the usual Sasquatch and I was wondering if he was a different character altogether.
Boschi’s art keeps the focus on character, which is good as there’s less action than you might expect. The colors by Chris O’Halloran do a lot of work to give the book a sadder tone with more monotone color choices. The art conveys well that the team is on the ropes and exhausted from running. There are some neat character design choices to check out, too. Again, if you’re a fan of these characters you’ll dig small changes to Wolverine’s adamantium, or Claire’s cool mech suit. Heck, even Sasquatch has a new look.
Heroes Reborn: Weapon X & Final Flight is an interesting tie-in thanks to the notes on where heroes we know and love have gone. It also makes it quite clear the Squadron Supreme is bad news. If you’re a fan of Wolverine or Alpha Flight and have an interest in these characters, give this book a read.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login