Review: Commanders in Crisis #9
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Davide Tinto
Colorist: Francesca Carotenuto
Letterer: Fabio Amelia
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
Summary
“They thought the Truth would save these people. …the Truth just makes people angry” – Narrator
The last survivors of the Multiverse live among us under new, super heroic identities, five survivors of doomed worlds…taking a second chance to ensure our world lives on.
A new twist on strange superhero comics, COMMANDERS IN CRISIS follows in the footsteps of Doom Patrol and Thunderbolts as five unexpected heroes come together to solve a murder unlike any other. The victim? Compassion itself…This is “ideacide”!
Commanders in Crisis #9 — Frontier has journeyed from the birthplace of ideas to the dawn of civilization, all to find a way to resurrect empathy…but what if resurrection was never what we needed?
Frontier and Originator dive right into that question in a face off with Doctor Dracula as the Extinction Society begins its final push…to kick us all off the edge and into destruction—the Revenge Regiment strikes!
Positives
First, I know we are now at Issue #9, but if you are reading this review and deciding whether you should go back and give this comic a try, then hit the following link. Issue #1 is available for free and is your starting point for where we are now….a crisis!
Steve Orlando is quite the philosopher. His voice really shines through in Sawbones soliloquy as he confronts Frontier about all of them being ripped away from their respective worlds in her attempt to save her world.  His speech is not preachy as much as it is a celebration of a hero that recognizes that just because they have power and powers, that doesn’t mean that they rule over people and take away their choices. Strong stuff from Orlando!
Orlando also sets up a Crisis Command versus Extinction Society showdown. I often ponder how you offer names to new characters, leagues, societies, etc when comics have been around for so long. Applause for the efforts, satire, tongue in cheek commentary, and down right strong writing of Orlando for his efforts on this front!
Finally, Doctor Dracula…what an interesting character they deploy to ingest blood samples in order to find a missing person. Whew…not the zombie brains and memories kind of thing we are used to in horror shows, but this is Orlando’s “Swamp Thing” or “Man Thing” homage…very strange but it works in this book!
Positives (more…)
I continue to applaud the craft of Davide Tinto and Francesca Carotenuto – their lines are clean, their colors are vivid, and the frames are perfect for this comic. They tell a story within a story, and they work so well with Orlando’s script! The battle scenes are clever and not over the top. Graphic but not dark.
Negatives… but not really
No negatives in terms of script or art…at all. As with all of Orlando’s work, he is a very passionate writer and his work teeters on sexuality a lot. Young readers in comics should know what they are getting in an Orlando book. It’s not a bad thing at all, but the sexuality is there s parents are not getting the “Bam, Poof, Argh” of regular comics. This is deep and conversation worthy!
Verdict
The issues get better and better. The story line gets stronger and stronger. Go back and purchase issues 1-8. You’ll be glad you added this to the collection! Again, note that the script continues to get deep and thought provoking, the art pushes the edges in story telling and the colors are as vivid as any comic produced. Image has a hit on its hands.
