Customer Reviews

R.E.B.E.L.S.: The Coming of Starro

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To long time aficionados, this singular name alone evokes wistful and wonderful reveries of one historic comic from yesteryear, which distinguished via its' iconic cover this unique opponent along with heralding the formation of the Justice League of America. Now return blissfully 50 years to the present as once again this formidable adversary with its' endless armada of mind controlling starfish is spawning universal unrest, though this time with a new player tilting the momentous scales and bereft of the commanding presence of the mighty JLA. Tony Bedard is masterfully crafting a compelling and comprehensive space saga that is remarkably rivaling the concurrent blockbuster smash Blackest Night itself. Not since Rann Thanagar War preceding Infinite Crisis have we witnessed such an amazing array of space races converging, confronting, and in this exceptional instance, conciliating their vast and vehement differences to unite against this fearsome foe who authentically has the capacity to overcome an entire galaxy, a rare antagonist indeed. Even in the fanciful world of superheroes, very few can plausibly be placed in that audacious role, therefore conveying a much welcomed level of credibility to the entire proceedings. Alas this volume is just the opening salvo in this epic conflagration with further intrigue to follow. What looms next on the celestial horizons time will tell, but for now Bedard has deftly laid the foundation for what could become a true cosmic classic.

R.E.B.E.L.S. was a series written in the 1990's about the anti-heroic genius Vril Dox, and his team of galactic peace keepers. Nearly a decade after the original series' conclusion, it was revived by DC. This book contains the first six issues of this new series, and is an excellent reintroduction of the team.

This volume returns to Dox at a time when his egocentric personality has resulted in him completely alienating his former comrades. When an invading alien army seizes control of the robotic police force he now commands, he is left alone and hunted. Forced to recruit allies to combat this threat, he begins to gather members of his former team, as well as some brand new faces. While his incredible intellect may give him an edge, he is hampered by the fact that nearly all of his new "allies" want to see him dead.

This book was very fun read. It does an excellent job of quickly recapping prior events and characters from the original 1990's series whenever necessary, allowing anybody to jump in without any previous knowledge of Dox's prior deeds. The dialogue was well written, and is often times witty and funny. As every member of the team comes from a variety of different worlds, each individual has a unique look and personality that really helps set each one apart from the others, and gives the team a really diverse feeling.

Bedard did an especially great job on the writing of Vril Dox himself. His extreme egotism and misanthropic attitude comes across perfectly. He is manipulative, rude, and quite clearly cares very little about anything aside from himself and his own reputation. It is entirely understandable why every other character hates his guts. Yet, at the same time, his intelligence, confidence, and status as the underdog makes it so you can't help but root for him. This is pretty much the perfect recipe for a great anti-hero.

Another highlight is the portrayal of the classic DC villain, Starro the Conqueror. The new interpretation of the character that debuts here is a great twist on what was formally a somewhat silly concept. Although he is expanded on in much greater detail in following volumes, his appearance in this first book still serves as a fine introduction.

If there is one fault, it is that events tend to move along at an incredibly high speed. As a result, the narrative has a tendency to quickly move from location to location, introducing new characters and factions at a rather rapid pace. This can be a little overwhelming for some, especially those who are new to comics in general.

All in all, the book was a fun space story, and a great start to the new series. It comes highly recommended to comic fans, especially those who feel like forgoing the usual super heroics for a more science fiction oriented adventure.

I really loved this book. I went in knowing nothing about the characters or the legacy of the book, and now I am hooked.

The writing is great and full of surprises. You will quickly come to know and love this strange cast of characters. The art is exceptional, too.

This is a fun read, and a great introduction to characters and elements of the DC universe that you might be unfamiliar with. If you like DC comics, then you need to read this book to treat yourself to something really unorthodox and entertaining.

An alien ship crashlands in a lake. Out steps a green-skinned man dressed like a 3rd world dictator who demands the frightened Earthlings tell him where the nearest bathroom is.

I can't remember a better start to a comic.

REBELS is a sequel to the comics LEGION '89 and REBELS '94 and a bit of a prequel to the Legion of Super-Heroes. Vril Dox, the son of Braniac, is a manipulative, cold-blooded, lying blackmailer and head of an interstellar police force called LEGION (Licenced Extra-Govermental Interstellar Operatives Network if you need to know). But now the organization has been taken over and he must assemble a team to take it back. He's offered a chance to assemble a team of loyal and noble heroes but, true to form, he instead chooses to a team of dupes, lackies and victims which he can control. Meanwhile his new foe (I don't think it counts as a spoiler if I say it's Starro, I mean it's there on the cover) begins to conquer the galaxy.

I was leery of picking this up. It's at least the third time I've seen a story about LEGION turning evil. But this is good. Really good. Writer Tony Bedard juggles dozens of characters and alien races without ever becoming confusing or getting mired in continunity. There are some winks and nods to Legion fans; classic Legionnaires Wildfire and Dawnstar are homaged as a new character named Wildstar, Bouncing Boy gets a nod with a new character named Bounder and villain Validus gets a counterpart as well. The plot includes a tour of the DCs alien races, the Khund, the Dominators, the Vegans, the Durans and more all play a role. But the action is never slowed down by exposition.

Artist Andy Clarke is clearly a rising star. He can handle exotic aliens and mundane faces and expressions with equal ease. He's certainly up there with some of the best LEGION and Legion artists I've seen. And at a time when too many artists reuse panels, trace, or use photoshop it's great to see someone who draws every issue and does them well.

This is a very good traditional comic. There's superheroes, sci fi, foul villains and a clever anti-hero trying to pull it all together. I recommend it to fans of Marvel's Annilation books, DC's LSH or anyone who likes good space opera.

The L.E.G.I.O.N series from the early 90's introduced me to one of the best anti-heroes of all time: Vril Dox, descendant of the original Brainiac and the ancestor of the Legion of Superheroes' Brainiac 5. For me, Vril was the ultimate bad boy, a genius who was more conniving than Lex Luthor and more ambitious than Darkseid could ever hope to be. And now he's back! Tony Bedard's R.E.B.E.L.S kicks off with Dox's intergalactic police force being taken over by a malevolent alien intelligence that is now relentlessly hunting him throughout the galaxy. He eventually ends up on earth, where he receives a message from an unexpected source to recruit specialized individuals for a new team to stand up to the aforementioned alien force than now runs half the galaxy. In no time Vril ends up with his first recruit, the inarticulate monster Tribulus, whom you've just gotta love. I mean, he shoots lightning from a brain that's encased in a bubble-dome on his head, for heaven's sake. Next, Dox leaves Earth and goes on his quest to gather more power, and he ends up with a bunch of interesting team members that make for a VERY exciting team dynamic. As the story progresses and the action escalates we have a reunion with the Omega Men, one of my favorite cosmic teams from the 80's, and this leads to the most shocking series of events which culminates with the re-introduction of Starro, the main villain of the series who used to swat the Justice League around like flies way back when. Bedard's writing is epic and intense, and it definitely whets one's appetite for more, while the art by Andy Clarke is mind-blowing to say the least. R.E.B.E.L.S is an addictive new series that I would recommend to everyone who loves insane alien madness and star-shattering space battles that would make George Lucas weep with envy. Buy it!