Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Convergence #3
DC Comics
King, Segovia, Paz & Steigerwald
Convergence continues to tell a story that caters to the absolutely hardcore DC fans. I am taking a guess that those fans will know all of these characters and references and understand the differences between Earth-2 and Pre-Flashpoint, etc. The comic does nothing to engage a reader that is newer, perhaps brought in by the New 52. No recap page, no back-matter, no footnotes (wouldn't that help sell the back catalog?), some of the characters aren't even referred to by name in the book. The book and event is a mess, constructively speaking. However, the book has a lot of action and a death or two. Generally speaking I was able to make my way through the comic without being totally confused, but then again I assume all of these characters will die so I can't say I'm too engaged. This comic is for the well-seasoned DC reader. Everyone else should wait this out until the re-launch hits in June.
The book really digs into Thomas Wayne and Dick Grayson by giving them some major panel time. They swoop in to save the heroes in Bruce Wayne's flying Batmobile, they take on a host of Batman villains from some other world and they get a big ending. The characters have a likable quality to them and they read as if they could be plucked from any time period from any "universe." Retaining the core qualities of Batman and his original sidekick was a great choice for these characters and centering these past couple of issues on them was a great idea.
There is a lot of action in the comic. I'm not sure the action is something you haven't seen before and for the most part the heroes battle a lot of robots, but it is fairly entertaining. It also helps to move the pace of the comic along.
The downside of the book is plot related. Characters travel into the center of the planet to some hidden city. When the main villain controls the world (from the dirt to the air around it) it seems odd that there would be a spot he couldn't get to. There is also the detail that characters seem to wander out of their cities at will while others appear to be trapped.
The comic also has a lot of confusing points with the characters. Are they supposed to be fighting and if not why wouldn't they get executed? If some can fight back then why can't all of them? The comic doesn't try too hard to piece things together. Instead, time is spent using old DC tricks that come back in their books again and again. Joker shoots someone and they end up crippled, a character sneaks up behind another and snaps his neck. All that's missing is the girlfriend's head in someone's fridge.
The artwork is good. Thankfully the fight scenes are clear with plenty of detail. There is no confusion as to the characters from panel to panel and the comic tells a fluid story. The artwork definitely helps the reader to get from point A to point B and that is a good thing.
Convergence is an okay story with obscure characters. The plot is fairly thin but the action is heavy. The comic puts familiar names with unfamiliar faces into a tough situation. The comic struggles to make sense to the unseasoned reader but will probably be a great read for those that know the ins and outs of these characters. This is an okay comic book.
2 out of 5 Geek Goggles
