The one thing that stands out about Rogue Sun, other than its fiery protagonist, is the foes he’s fought. Since the debut of this series, we’ve had a clan of vampire/werewolf hybrids, a demon who literally treats eating people’s souls like fine dining, and a man who breathes noxious gas that will literally melt your face off. In Rogue Sun #31, we have the arrival of Mr. Poe, who is…a cat?
Yes, the latest threat in Rogue Sun’s life is a cat. Keeping in line with the supernatural element of the series, Mr. Poe is no ordinary cat; he seems to have the ability to possess others and force them to do his will. This leads to what’s arguably one of the most disturbing sequences in Rogue Sun #31, where Mr. Poe possesses a teenager and forces her to shoot prison guards until he’s reunited with his original owner. Abel and Bruna Frenda make sure to emphasize the horror in the guards’ faces once bodies start dropping, and even feature a note of uncertainty in his current host’s face – which has transformed into a felid visage, complete with golden eyes and even fangs.
Mr. Poe isn’t the only new bad guy on the block, though. The issue opens with Dylan and Aurie fighting off Mad Melody, who can best be described as a death-metal version of Dazzler both in her powers (which involve sound waves) and design (tattered fishnets and flowing purplish white hair give her the appearance of a vengeful ghost). It also shows how the Rogue Suns operate: Dylan is more focused on cracking jokes and hitting on some of the patrons, while Aurie manages to subdue Melody quickly.
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Those differences don’t just extend to the battlefield, but to both of these heroes’ personal lives. In Dylan’s case, it’s a trip to visit the college he’ll be attending after he graduates high school. It’s also a chance for him to try and reconnect with his ex Vanessa, but she spurns him after he participates in a hazing of another student. In one of Ryan Parrott and Nick Cotton’s most biting exchanges of dialogue, Vanessa tells Dylan, “I keep telling people that inside, you’re a decent guy, but…I’m starting to think maybe I was wrong.”
It’s not hard to see her point, and it brings up the question: Can Dylan be more than the perpetually snarky, rebel against authority? While a large part of his issues stem from not really knowing his late father Marcus – and then getting to know his ghost – it seems like Vanessa is the one person on Earth who might challenge him actually to change his ways for the better. If that doesn’t work, there’s the fact that Hellbent, one of his deadliest enemies, is waiting to strike him down, leading to one of the biggest surprises of the issue.
Rogue Sun #31 brings back old foes and introduces new ones, while questioning if its lead hero can change for the better. It’ll also probably turn readers into dog people after they see what Mr. Poe does to his victims.
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