REBELS #28

You know, we're dang lucky this lasted as long as it did. Tony Bedard and his artists put together a fantastic run on a book that I thought would be done by issue 12, tops. This was clearly a labor of love for Bedard, and while his focus quickly shifted away from his Legion of Super-Heroes (or villains) inspired team to one made up of more popular and marketable characters, Vril Dox owned this book. Dox is not a nice guy, he's barely a step up from a super-villain, so having him anchor this series is quite the accomplishment.

Bedard brings everything home nicely, letting Lyrl Dox (Brainiac III) do the dirty work in defeating Starro. I'm not sure I understand why things play out the way they do with Smite, though. The guy was a pretty bad dude, and he didn't seem to have problems following Starro, so having Lobo and the rest of the REBELS be so forgiving seemed weird. Adam Strange gets a nice good-bye with his family, although Starfire and Captain Comet end up the only way they could. There's no way Starfire could end up with a C-tier character like Comet while Nightwing is waiting in the wings. The rest of the team gets that wonderful hopeful farewell that cancelled comics like to throw out; sure, the book is cancelled, but LEGION lives on. Hope for a sequel post-Flashpoint?

Claude St. Aubin did solid work for much of this run. His work was effective and clear, I really enjoyed it every month.

Let's hear it for this dollar-bin goldmine of a series.

Good

REBELS #26

Man, I'm going to miss this comic. It is such a fun throwback to the old LEGION and Lobo comics of the '90s. It's easy to dislike the main man, but how can you not love him in REBELS? He's a maniac, but he's Dox's maniac. Starro's moment of fear where he asks Dox how to deal with Lobo was classic for everyone involved: Lobo's relentless, Dox is smug, and suddenly, Starro is vulnerable.

I never saw Smite branching out on his own this much, but I appreciate that it takes Storm-Daughter's death last month to force his independence. I'm confident that while Smite might stick around, when this series is done, Starro the barbarian will be too. Tony Bedard has done a great job with the idea, but Starro really needs to only be a giant fish.

Claude St. Aubin does his usual solid job on art. I wonder what's up for him after this title wraps up? Is he on a Flashpoint book?

Good

REBELS #25

Well, that was fun while it lasted. I just read a rumor that REBELS is getting cancelled in anticipation of the glut of Flashpoint series on the way this summer. I'm sure Tony Bedard will be writing one or two of them, and to be honest, who thought that a sequel to the 90's series LEGION would ever last this long? In any case, I'm going to enjoy this series while I can.

Bedard's focus on the core cast is doing a lot for this title, but having Starro back is helping even more. Not only does the series' main villain return, but he also drops a couple lines of dialogue that basically reinstates the old JLA Starro as a villain on his own. So now we can enjoy both.

I like how quickly Vril Dox has been taken off the board too, when these two forces first clashed, it was Vril vs. Starro. This time it might be the other heroes of LEGION having to step up. And having Lobo this time could make a huge difference.

Claude St. Aubin has been consistently turning in solid pencils for months, and this is no different. A few faces look a bit weird (mostly Vril Dox), but overall, the book looks fine.

Good

REBELS #24

Most of this issue has the core players taking a breath and a break before Starro makes his big move. I think it's a wise move for Tony Bedard to nail down who his leads are in this book. There is an expansive cast, but if he focuses on the folks on the cover (plus Captain Comet), I think this book could be even better.

I'm intrigued to see Starro making a return, this book worked best when he was the antagonist, so I can't blame Bedard for going back to that well. Things might be a bit different now that the universe knows about Starro, plus as near as I can tell he's down to two loyal super-flunkies. Naturally, they are the two coolest, but maybe the REBELS actually have a chance.

Claude St. Aubin's pencils are still sharp, but he seems to be backing away from some of his Andy Clarke-inspired cross-hatching. This is a mistake as the pencils in this issue are starting to veer into cartoon territory. It's only in a few places, but I don't want to see Aubin change his neat style from the past few years.

Good

REBELS #23

I should have had more faith in Tony Bedard. The last few issues have been a bit unfocused, but Bedard brings all those elements home nicely in a great facedown with the Green Lantern Corps. The rookie GLs are instantly legitimized by bringing in John Stewart to back them up (nice that Bedard could clear that with the GLC writer). Once the rookies were actually promoted, I started liking them more, I bet they might actually appear in some group GL shots soon!

Bedard also brings back some of the neglected cast. Adam Strange plays a big role as the hapless mediator for LEGION and the GLC. Starfire's attack on the Psions isn't being left behind either, they hold a grudge and they're coming after her. And Vril Dox hasn't been his devious self in a while, but arming terrorists and needling Stewart about Xanshi is pretty tremendous. There's a reason we love to hate Dox.

Claude St. Aubin's pencils don't seem quite so detailed in this issue. I wonder if he's running low on time and needs more help from the inkers? His Andy Clarke-inspired cross-hatches are much less visible in this one.

Good

REBELS #22

Hey kids, comics! What says fun-loving adventure comics like having your team take on rape-camps?

Tony Bedard actually has an interesting story here, I just continue to worry about using these types of stories starring characters that appear on kids cartoons. I always like seeing Starfire get the focus of an issue, and she is tough throughout this book, but still.

I still don't really care about the new GLs. Again, I appreciate that Bedard has handed GL rings to two races that are typically bad guys in the DCU, and this does give us a different look at those societies, but I'm just not sure these characters are going to have much staying power. Couldn't that panel time do more with some of the neglected cast members like Amon Hakk or Wildstar? Heck, I barely recognized Bounder, one of the founding members!

Claude St. Aubin and Kevin Sharpe don't have the same style, but they are both good enough storytellers that their pages all get the job done.

Fair

REBELS #21

Sheesh, those new GLs are UGLY! Is DC trying to drive off all the readers that the Starfire covers brought on?


This issue picks up a bit after last month's conclusion to the Brainiac arc. I was never too wrapped up in the Brainiac plot, but seeing Vril Dox world building with his LEGION rent-a-cops? Now that's cool. Lobo works best as a hired gun for Dox, and a lot more of the Main Man's personality comes through in this issue. I loved watching him stomp the GL rookies around, I'm not sure who I'm supposed to be rooting for, but I'm in the REBELS camp all the way.

I do find it interesting that the book is putting so much focus on those two rookie GLs when there is such an interesting, expansive cast waiting for panel time. I like what Tony Bedard is doing with his two new GLs, but man, seeing all those great characters on the LEGION splash page just made me pine for more Starfire, Captain Comet, and Adam Strange. Heck, at this point I want to see more from Bounder!

Claude St. Aubin's pencils are so detailed, I can always lose myself in the alien worlds and beings he creates. He does a great job on the heroic aspects of comic art too. Lobo looks awesome.

Good

REBELS #20

The Main Man looks pretty darn tough on that cover, doesn't he? David Finch does a great job making Lobo look like he walked off a Simon Bisley cover from 1992. Fun stuff.

The Brainiac story wraps up leaving an interesting new status quo. Brainiac is loose in the universe with new emotions and Stargrave the anti-sun working for him. I hope they don't show up again for a while. I love Stargrave's personality and looks, but I'm getting tired of Brainiac.
I haven't been enthralled by this Brainiac story, mainly because the whole arc has taken the focus off the greater cast, leaving Vril Dox with most of the spotlight. I think he's a character that works better contrasting with more likable folks, and there isn't really anyone to cheer for right now. Lobo isn't exactly a good guy, and I cheer for him anyway, but I'd be more engaged if Captain Comet, Starfire, or Adam Strange could show up a bit.

Claude St. Aubin's art looks a bit more rushed than usual this month. The Lobo pages look nice, but I'm less impressed with the Brainiac stuff. Of course, I don't really like the bulked up design for Brainiac, so that isn't a surprise.

Fair

REBELS #19

Tony Bedard is doing his best to draw in new readers. This current storyline features Brainiac, who recently starred in the Superman titles. He managed to snag Starfire, one of the more popular Titans. He's pulled in Adam Strange and Captain Comet. He's using Stargrave, an inteligent sun who looks an awful lot like Grant Morrison's Solaris. With this issue's cliffhanger, he's adding the most popular Legionaire from the 90's run. I predicted this guy would be showing up again a few months ago, and to be honest, he does make sense at this point.

I love how quickly Both Vril Dox and Braniac 2 have to re-assess their situation after the original Brainiac starts making things difficult on Colu. The few moments we see of the leaders of Colu are pretty entertaining. They are dealing with their greatest (and most evil) citizen, so it makes sense they'd be quaking like they are.

My one complaint is that there just aren't enough pages for the actual REBELS to get much page time.

Claude St. Aubin is still doing a bang up job following in Andy Clarke's footsteps. He's kept things looking consistent, but I have to admit he did make this book his own.

Good

REBELS #18

This is still one of the most fun comics DC is putting out. We actually get a few lines from some of the core REBELS themselves. Ciji, Amon Hakk, and Wildstar all get a few comments in before the plot moves us along to the new stars of the title. Captain Comet and Starfire quickly take their relationship to the next level, there are some great moments as Comet shows that he is a child of the 1950s. His morals and expectations are not quite in line with the type of physical interaction Starfire enjoys. It's an amusing moment, although seeing just how hurt Starfire is by Dick Grayson is a bit sad.

Vril Dox and Lyrl Dox are both enjoying themselves. I guess Vril must have gotten involved in the Super-books, because he returns Brainiac to Colu to be imprisoned. Bad timing, though, Lyrl has just built Solaris, the Anti-Sun, and they're attacking Colu at the same time. To further complicate things (and to no one's surprise) Brainiac isn't out of the picture either. All these Brainiacs are fun to read about, but my favorite bit is that Solaris' first act upon achieving sentience is to try to destroy his creator. Good thing Lyrl is a planner.

Claude St. Aubin is back, so everyone looks just right again. Starfire is hot, Comet looks heroic, and Solaris looks awesome, like usual.

Good

REBELS #17

My daughter is a huge Starfire fan, so naturally one of her favorite bad guys (mostly from Tiny Titans) is Blackfire. I actually had to read her part of this issue because Tony Bedard did such a fantastic job fleshing out Starfire's bad sister.

From start to finish, this story is told from Blackfire's point of view, and frankly, she comes across as almost reasonable. She's clearly coloring things in her best interests, but man, I think it is possible to explain away some of what she's done over the years. (Especially now that Hawkwoman is back alive anyway.)

There isn't a lot of screen time for the early stars of this series, I think this book is sort of letting the big names rise to the top. Dox, Captain Comet, Adam Strange, and Starfire are the real names now. In fact, I can't say that the two new GL's have even captured my interest that much, so I'd be fine with the limited core cast, occasionally spotlighting Amon Hakk, Wildstar, and the rest.

Sergio Arino does a good job keeping things looking fairly consistent, but I'm a fan of Claude St. Aubin, so I hope he comes back next month. His Adam Strange armor looks tougher and his Starfire is hotter.

Good

R.E.B.E.L.S. #16

Tony Bedard is doing his best to bring the 90's back. I can't speak for most readers (judging by the sales numbers for this book) but I love it. Bedard balances universe-building, character development, and action perfectly. I love that Captain Comet wanted to quit the LEGION because he thinks it's doomed to fail, but he's staying because Starfire is so dang hot. I also like the way Starfire and Adam Strange (and Animal Man when he's around) have built this long-lasting friendship after 52. Vril Dox is still a jerk, but I love the way he's always after the next big plan. He's Reed Richards without a conscience and a love of money.

Bedard's cast may end being just as cool as the original LEGION staff. I do wish Stealth wouldn't have died during Starro's attack, she'd be a fun voice to add to the chaos. I'm not sure we need two new GL's added to the group, but I do like the idea of two evil races getting their own Lanterns, it could get interesting.

Claude St. Aubin continues doing a nice job on pencils. That panel of Starfire should serve as a reason why the readers should stick around (in addition to Captain Comet).

Good

R.E.B.E.L.S. #15

Reading REBELS is kind of bittersweet for me every month. I absolutely love the comic. The storylines and characterization has been excellent, and now Tony Bedard has put together a team of ringers made up of some of my favorite DCU characters. Adam Strange, Captain Comet, and now Starfire all on the same team! It's insane! And yet I can't help but be worried that I'm going to see the cancellation notice in the next round of solicits. I'll enjoy the book while I can, but I do feel like we're on borrowed time.

This issue deals with the fallout of Starro's conquest of the DCU and starts to set up some new status-quo states around the DCU galaxy. Vril Dox is setting up the LEGION once again, but after his robot police force betrayed its employers at the start of the series, the populace is very anti-Dox. In fact, since Despero played such a big role in taking out the star conqueror, he's become a cosmic hero in the eyes of the populace! His execution of Starro doesn't quite work out though, since Smite and Astrid Storm-Daughter are still hanging around and still loyal to their old boss. Meanwhile, Starfire has left Earth because she's tired of hanging around waiting for Dick Grayson to like her. So she's returning to the stars and she's in for a shock as a planet appears where her homeworld used to be... I'm betting Dox is "fixing" Rann and it will now take Tamaran's place in the cosmos. Bedard is cleaning things up nicely, I love this book. The whole feel of the cosmic DCU is so fun and open, anything can happen.

Claude St. Aubin is quite good and he has totally held the tone established by Andy Clarke. I do question the need to have Starfire's first appearance in these pages be topless. Why in the world is she tying on her shirt in her grand arrival in this title? I mean, St. Aubin draws it well, but it's not exactly empowering, you know?

Good

R.E.B.E.L.S. #14

Tony Bedard delivers a nice little payoff to the epic Starro storyline that has been running in this title since issue 1. I get the feeling the resolution was a bit rushed, though, since a lot of the items that Vril Dox spent time assembling into his Starro-killing gun don't actually work. Fortunately, the Omega Men were on the case too. They actually discover a neurotoxin that takes out the starro-fish instantly. Dox gets the win, but it is a close call. I really liked the near-miss nature of the ending, with only three beings left in the sector with free will.

Bedard has populated the cosmic DCU with a great slew of new characters. Despero is reinspired and I love the Psions taking an important role again. The Dominator admiral will be a problem and of course, Vril Dox now wants his reward for saving the universe. I'm curious how the book will continue now, since the narration in this issue is split by Dox and Adam Strange. That could make for an interesting contrast.

Claude St. Aubin's pencils are terrific. He and Andy Clarke established a wonderful look for this book. I can only hope it doesn't get cancelled.

Good

R.E.B.E.L.S. #13

It is great to be the target audience for a comic. Tony Bedard continues rolling out one of the best sci-fi comics I've ever read. The book opens up with the amusing return of JLA-villain Despero. I figured there was no way Bedard would really try to kill off such a big character, even if it was to establish the new Starro as a big player. Despero is awesome. He's just playing dead with his head on a spike, and he's annoyed when Vril Dox shows up to add him to the R.E.B.E.L. alliance (like that?).

Everyone is out to betray everyone else in this book. Lyrl Dox wants to betray Starro. Smite wants to betray Starro. Vril Dox wants to betray Adam Strange. And you know Kanjar Ro, the Dominator, and Despero will betray everyone else as soon as they can. It's such a fun dynamic with all these villains trying to mix onto a team with a bunch of straight-shooters like Captain Comet and Adam Strange. Great stuff. And how great is it that Vril Dox wants is in a rush to beat Starro so that he can get the credit. He doesn't want those glory-hound superheroes from Earth to win.

Claude St. Aubin has done a wonderful job picking up the style established by Scott Clark for this book. The details look wonderful and you can read everyone's intentions on their well-drawn faces. Great stuff.

Good

R.E.B.E.L.S. #9

This really isn't fair. Tony Bedard had me liking his space opera. While I had no real favorites in the cast, I loved the expansive look at space in the DCU and adding in the threat of a Starro horde just added to the fun. Then he started adding cast members. Old L.E.G.I.O.N. members like Garv and Amon Hakk showed up. Then Lyrl Dox joined up. Now Bedard is adding even more great characters to this huge cast. With like 10 characters I love showing up, I'm like a fish in a barrel for this series.

This issue has Adam Strange and Captain Comet joining up, as well as Kanjar Ro. What's so great about Comet and Strange's arrival is that they were safe outside the sealed off galaxy where the Starro battle had started. They just joined in because it was the right thing to do. They are great heroes and I'm really hoping that Bedard writes Comet closer to his old L.E.G.I.O.N. persona than his more cynical recent incarnation. Having the Dominion Admiral and Kanjar Ro join as more, ah, suspect members of the team is welcome too. The only problem is that I don't think Bedard has enough pages to give panels to everyone. Heck, he's giving the Omega Men 5 or 6 pages every month too!

He's doing a great job with what he's got though, since the plot keeps trucking along here. I like the idea that Garv and Strata would ditch Dox after all his shenanigans, but the untimely arrival of a Starro super-team may make that departure difficult. I really wish more people would check out this book. Any fan of 90s DC needs to be reading this book.

Claude St. Aubin continues to fill in admirably for Andy Clarke. The art is very much in the same style and everyone looks on-model. I'm looking forward to seeing more energy weapons from Adam Strange since they look so darn cool.

Good

R.E.B.E.L.S. #8

I don't like generic robots killing LEGION founder Stealth in a flashback, but I have got to have faith in Tony Bedard that he's not going to have that stick. Surely that character deserves a better send-off than a generic death to make Vril Dox seem like a colder jerk than he already was. I will admit between that and the hint that something is very different with Garv, I'm worried that Bedard is drastically wrecking the status quo of a bunch neat characters. Not many folks remember or like the old LEGION crew, I'm sure, but I was a huge fan. As for his work with the current cast, Bedard is doing a great job. The all-new, all-dangerous Omega Men are very cool. I love the idea of Starro's that only amp up power and mean tendencies while keeping their host self-aware. I wouldn't want that approach to be too widespread (for example, if the REBELS team got them) since it is part of what makes the Omega Men unique. The Omega Men need a gal on their team too. I would say someone like Maxima would fit nicely, but she's dead right now, right?

The REBELS team is a cool crew too. With folks popping up from all over the DCU's history, Lyrl Dox makes perfect sense to join. I love the idea of him being something of a wild jungle kid too, more his mother's son than his father's. That's a cool idea. Starro is still a fantastic, horrific villain. He's sets up a great combo of the face-huggers from Alien and zombies. This army of other-universe super-humans is cool too, since there is a chance to have dozens of new characters with different power sets interact with the DCU. Speaking of power-sets, I think the Prince Gavyn Starman needs to revert to his Will Payton persona and join up with the REBELS. They need an Earthman.

Andy Clarke's pencils are so wonderfully detailed; this book is a treat to read. I love his designs for the conquered alien metahumans. That scene with the Psions holding a starfish, with the tentacles whipping around, really gave me the creeps.

Good

R.E.B.E.L.S. #7

Tony Bedard has really improved this comic over the last few months. The opening sequence with the Dominator Admiral trying to escape Dox's force field using an endangered "space-whale" instantly gives the reader an emotional reaction. What was so well done was that Bedard has the Dominator do a similar thing at the end of the issue, giving the book some nice parallel plotting.

Dox and his expanding team of REBELS spend the issue trying to get the Gil'Dishpan, an aquatic race known for the teleporting, to evacuate their planet and sign up to fight off Starro. During the negotiations, a neat new Starro-slave shows up and leads an attack on the alien planet's methane-oceans. After some neat sequences showing off Gil'Dishpan defenses, this shark baddie succeeds in getting most of the Gil'Dishpan leaders under Starro control. As Dox and the REBELS evacuate the planet, the Dominator joins up, but leaves a little surprise behind for Starro. The Dominator's actions are cold hearted, but they may have been the right move. I do hope that a fair amount of aliens did warp away from the planet though...

Bedard continues to drop bits of dialogue that show how great his handle is on the cosmic side of the DCU. There are references to LEGION and other space books that really tie this series back to the early 90s. The references add a lot for me, but don't seem like they'd be overpowering for a new reader.

Andy Clarke's art is fantastic. He uses a lot of cross-hatching, but the detail here is incredible. Every character and alien looks on-model, no easy task with this wide-spread a cast. Plus his design of the new aquatic alien controlled by Starro is a neat addition. I'm surprised how much I'm finding myself intrigued by all these leader-types in Starro's army.

Excellent

R.E.B.E.L.S. #6

This book just doesn't fit in with the rest of the DCU. I mean that in a good way! We have players and factions who haven't been a factor since DC's Invasion showing up and playing important parts here. As a fan of that era, I'm thrilled.

Tony Bedard has set up a huge conflict with the new barbarian Starro and his invading army. This issue shows the initial conflict as Starro quickly takes over the Dominion homeworld using the normal face-hugging Starros. It is a neat battle sequence that shows how effective the combination of Starro-types are going to be. The Dominion does send out a warning to the rest of the cosmos, and we get to see the reactions from the space-faring races of the DCU. The Khund, the Citadel, the Gil'Dishpan, Kanjar Ro, the Durlans, and more all react in appropriate ways as they take in the new threat and the new vacuum of power with the fall of the Dominion.

As expected, Vril Dox succeeds in turning the Khund warrior Amon Hakk over to his side, and he adds the Durlan spy Ciji to his group too After retaking control of his LEGION robots, Dox seals off this corner of the galaxy, "setting the board" for his conflict with Starro. Dox declares he's going to need more help to take on the Star Conqueror, and it looks like it is going to be pretty fun. No Omega Men this issue, but lots of great galactic facts keep the transitions moving along nicely.

The art by Claude St. Aubin is nice and detailed. He has quickly mastered drawing the myriad of space-races factoring in to this conflict. I'm excited about this series since it feels more like 90s DC than anything else in their line.

Good

R.E.B.E.L.S. #4 & 5

Tony Bedard took his time getting to the main story in his DC space-comic, but now that he's arrived, we're in for a treat. Starro the conqueror is taking over the universe, and he has a parallel universe army of heroes and soldiers to help him do the job. Standing against him are the fractured races of DCU space, including the Dominators, the Psions, the Khunds, and odd hero teams like the Rebels and the Omega Men. I'm loving the sense of impending doom that Starro has, it really seems inevitable that he will win. But Dox is a smart cookie, and the Omega Men are pretty heroic, so I'm hopeful! This comic is the spiritual successor to the Invasion series of the 90s, so I'm loving it. Invasion #2 was my first DC comic after all.

After digging the L.E.G.I.O.N. that spun out of that miniseries, I'm hoping for more heroes from that book to join up with Dox. (I bet we get Amon Hakk linked up with Dox after issue 5.) The cast Bedard has put together is pretty darn neat as-is: Strata and Bounder seem fun, and Wildstar is turning into a neat hero who trusts Dox too much. It really is too bad Starlin is using so many good characters over in Strange Adventures, it would be nice to see Captain Comet, Adam Strange, or Starman dealing with this threat. Maybe Bedard can get Starfire? Lobo?

I will say I'm not fond of the idea that Starro the Conqueror is actually some ax-wielding barbarian. I hope that is just his designated lead-posession. It makes sense that Starro would have mindless drones as well as some dominated but still thinking "preferred slaves."
Claude St. Aubin's pencils are a tad over-reliant on cross-hatching, but he doesn't overdo the details. The heroes and aliens look fantastic, but what really impresses me is the designs on the Starro-controlled villains. Many of them look like nice little hero designs.

#4 - Excellent
#5 - Good