Rogue Sun, at its core, is about family: how they can fail you, what you’re willing to do for them, and what happens when you find a new family. For Dylan Spiegel, he’s learned his father was a superhero, his mother sold her soul (in a matter of speaking) to get revenge, and now his half-sister Aurie has become a Rogue Sun in her own right. Rogue Sun #27 continues to explore this new dynamic, as Dylan and Aurie both learn how to work together as Rogue Suns while preparing for a rematch with the toxin-spewing Noxious.
From the jump, Ryan Parrott and Nick Cotton showcase just how different Dylan and Aurie are, both as individuals and as Rogue Suns. Dylan is brash and abrasive, but he genuinely seems to want to change: despite his dad Marcus’ warnings, he decides to trust Aurie with her own decisions, even advising her to tell her mother Juliette the truth about her new powers. He also tries to patch things up with his ex, Vanessa, saying “maybe I’m tired of being an a******e.” Of course, I’ll believe it when I read it, but it shows that Dylan is growing in his own way.
Aurie, on the other hand, seems intensely focused on being Rogue Sun. Not only is she hiding it from her mom, but she’s actively seeking out Noxious, and leaning on the help of former Rogue Sun, Caleb. Given how Caleb previously hijacked Dylan’s body in an earlier arc of Rogue Sun, it’d be easy to think that he has an ulterior motive…but he genuinely seems to want to help Aurie with her powers. Once again, Parrott and Cotton play with the notion of how parents fail to live up to our expectations, and how we might find what we’re looking for in other parental figures – even if those figures are literal ghosts.
The art team of Abel, Bruno Frenda and Natalia Marques even highlight the differences between the two in their own unique way. Dylan’s Rogue Sun armor is obsidian, save for the reddish orange flames that spill out of it, while Aurie’s has taken on a more purplish hue, which provides a striking contrast to Noxious’ acid green fumes. Marques’ colors help bring life to not just the action sequences – which are brief but brutal – but the scenery as well.
A great example comes in the opening pages, which take place during the night time. The graying sky and the jet black tendrils that represent tree branches give off a nightmarish vibe. If that wasn’t enough, the sky turns purple whenever Noxious appears: it’s a sharp contrast to the melted reddish raw lumps of flesh he turns his victims into.
Rogue Sun #27 is at its best when it showcases how its two protagonists are completely different people who happen to be going through similar trials and tribulations in life. Even if the issue’s light on action, character is what drives the Massiveverse, and this issue has it in spades.
