4 issue Test #14 Cyborg

Half man, half machine, all awesome. Cyborg is a character worthy of his own title. No background for this one, let’s just dig right in

OK, so this is Cyborg behind a Davinchi theory that honestly has nothing to do with anything, I think this is more a bad product of what the artist had been told to draw

We open somewhere in another galaxy where some aliens in mech suits (apparently tekbreakers) are defending their people against the technosapiens who have hunted them down. The technosapien leader gives a kill order

We cut to Star labs in Detroit where people are protesting for some reason. As Cyborg narrates giving his view on his father, Doctor Morrow asks Silas Stone whether he got Victor’s message, he did but it doesn’t worry him that sounded important, he makes everything sound important. Thomas (Dr Morrow) remarks that he did come all the way here but Silas remarks that he can teleport to other dimensions, so coming here isn’t a big deal.

Sarah and Cyborg are waiting, Cyborg is used to having to wait, his narration talks about the various time he’s ‘died’ the first time in the accident that lead to him gaining his powers, and the second time at the end of Trinity War, leading into Forever evil. Apparently it took a lot of convincing to repair him this time (not sure how that syncs up but…) but the third time he died (back in the Divergence preview) his father wasn’t there

Thomas and Silas arrive and see Cyborg spouting a significantly changed look, one with more organic components to it. Thomas wonders what happens whilst Silas is only intrigued, stating that this is important after all. Cyborg doesn’t know how to explain it himself but shows them recorded footage (from an angle that’s definitely not his eyes, what the hell?) of the tekbreakers killing him.

Silas, Thomas and the blonde scientist look over the readings. A new system must’ve brought him back to life. Sarah is stunned by their insensitivity and storms out.

Back in another galaxy, most of the species are being slaughtered by the technosapiens. As one of the tekbreakers is killed another grabs her and says that someone has to live to fight another day, they disappear through a portal. The technosapiens find a new weapon in dead technosapien and I think they try and assimilate it.

A nurse takes a blood sample of cyborg whilst Silas and tomorrow are just staring at the data. Cyborg tries to get their attention as his organic looking hands turn into robotic weaponry, but they soon go back to the data. Cyborg decides to leave to see Sarah. Cyborg laments that he doesn’t know what he is and his father isn’t making things easier.

They head outside through the protesters. One of them is a guy with a robotic arm can barely tie a shoe and a missing eye (gee, I wonder if he’ll be a villain at some point) He complains tech like that for Cyborg could be used to help others missing limbs.

A guy named Sebastian, someone who played for a rival team when Victor was a footballer wants to catch up over coffee. Back in another galaxy the technosapiens are converting those that they’d defeated into more technosapiens (haven’t heard that one before) they promise they’ll find the source of the weapon they’d just assimilated and conquer that world.

*sighs* what the f*ck is this? Also white background

Issue 2 opens ‘someplace else’ (Because who needs to be specific) as the two tekbreakers arrive through the portal. They tell the others what had happened as a female who looks kinda like the blonde from the science crew gives them an I told you so speech, claiming that they’ve doomed another universe. They travelled there and ‘killed Cyborg’ because they only needed his tech. If the techno-sapiens have absorbed their tech, they’ll be able to trace it. He’s doomed not only another planet, but another universe. (Wait, isn’t most of Cyborg’s tech derived from Apokolips. Darkseid vs Technosapiens, there can only be one winner, and it’s Darkseid, because he’s Darkseid)

Whilst Cyborg narrates about the questions people ask of him he dreams about fighting some technosapiens. As he is taken over by them he wakes up. I hope this has a point later down the line, because I’m not seeing it yet. As Cyborg awakens, wondering what that was about (I’m wondering the same thing) his AI tells him that he has a message from Silas, which he chooses to ignore.

Meanwhile Bobby, the kid with the eyepatch from the last issue decides to shave and head to a ‘body shop’ they can replace his eye and leg with fully capable cybernetic implants. Cyborg manages to activate the weapons in his arm by concentrating. He uses the tech’s neuri-link to create even bigger guns to make Rob Leifeld drool. He’s told he’s received another message from Silas, and heads to Star Labs.

On a distant planet, the technosapiens begin recruiting, still wanting to find the source of that weapon. In Star Labs in downtown Detroit Cyborg holographically communicates with his father as he’s fiddling with some automated deployment droids. He promises not to mess them up, but says that something might be broken.

Sebastian comes to pick Bobby up after his operation, he now has an electric eye implant as well as a robotic arm. He takes a rest as Sebastian calls up Victor, who is gathering data by fighting off those deployment droids. Silas just thinks he’s showing off and is annoyed about the damaged called. Cyborg says he’ll repair and improve them storming off saying he’s just trying to work out why he’s becoming less human.

Later on, Sebastian and Victor are walking down the street, with Cyborg reminiscing about all the businesses that have gone under. Sebastian tells Cyborg about the body shops, Cyborg hadn’t heard of them because of the events of previous stories. Cyborg begins to feel pain and the light on his forehead begins to flash. It’s some kind of signal probing him. He realises that the dream is real, the technosapiens are coming. They arrive at Bobby’s house.

Cyborg fights things in this issue - at least it's a relevent cover

In issue 3 Bobby is taken over by the technosapiens. Cyborg is trying to get some civilians to safety but they’re soon ambushed by the technosapiens, Bobby tries to convert Cyborg but Cyborg shocks him off. At Star Labs Sarah is separated from the others, who have put up a containment field to stop anyone getting to the most dangerous tech. They can let Sarah through but she needs to get down there, easier said than done as the technosapiens easily handle her gunfire.

As Cyborg has everyone backed onto a bus the Doctor Magnus and the Metal Men arrive to help. They seem to be immune to the techno-parasite the technosapiens are using to overtake other lifeforms. Sarah and redshirts are running from the creatures. Silas prepares to lower the containment field, as the redshirts die Sarah opens fire on the creatures.

Cyborg appreciates Doctor Magnus coming, the technosapiens have hacked the internet and disabled most communication lines, the distress signal was specifically designed to be picked up by the metal men. Doctor Magnus asks where the Justice League are and Cyborg says these creatures have invaded the entire planet (the Justice League apparently has Batgirl in it now) Cyborg says they need to get to Star Labs to the safety of the containment field

The Star Labs crew make their last stand and are about to be killed when they’re saved by the tekbreakers. Cyborg sees them and recognises them as the people who killed him and goes on the attack. One of them has a voice Sarah recognises so they tell Cyborg to stop. She takes off her helmet to reveal she’s an alternate reality version of Sarah Charles.

It's Cyborg and the Metal Men fighting against the forces that are behind them???

Issue 4 opens with a summary of current events, people are holding up in Star labs with Gold and Mercury defending the building with a bunch of the STAR Labs droid, Iron and Platinum are trying to fight them whilst Lead is stocking up on supplies. Lori (that scientist I didn’t know the name of until now) and Thomas are inside stasis tubes having been infected

Cyborg knows that the tekbreakers didn’t show up by co-incidence. Sarah explains that in her reality it was Silas and her wife that were injured in the accident. He survived but he refused to let his wife die and ended up experimenting with tech not from the planet earth, at first the other supported him but soon he became obsessed, he became the cyborg of that earth and it drew in creatures, the technosapiens wanting to use that tech.

Silas walks off with Cyborg going after him. The technosapiens stand outside the know that ‘the chosen one’ is close, they’ll find him, liberate those that have been captured and destroy the enemies that followed them her to deliver ‘salvation’ to those in need. Cyborg tells Silas that it’s not his fault, his universal double did those things but Silas laments that he’d likely have done the same thing.

The Sarahs talk with our Sarah lambasting her for leading the technosapiens here in the first place, our Sarah realises their Sarah loved Vic, which is why she hates the sight of Vic now. Their sarah knows that our Sarah loves our Vic and she slaps her for it (go girl) before running to join the others. The prisoners begin chanting ‘I can hear your son’ as the computers warn that a breach in the containment field is imminent. The technosapiens outside are chanting the same thing. They’ve hacked into the force-field. The technosapiens have broken in

Cyborg tries to reason with them but they don’t take it and he fires upon them. Their Sarah knocks out a guard and tells her fellow tekbreakers she knows what she has to do. Cyborg, the metal men and the tekbreakers do battle against the technosapiens until a giant technosapien bursts out of the ground.

OK, so that was Cyborg #1 through 4, what worked and what didn’t, let’s take a closer look.

OK, I will say that issue 4 is leagues ahead of issues 1-3 in terms of quality. It’s the only issue that actually allowed both plot momentum and action. #1 and 2 were rather slow reads, whilst #3 was nothing but action.

The artwork was fine, I like the new design of Cyborg but there’s nothing all that spectacular about it.

There was some good character work for Cyborg in these issues, but it’s rather restricted to him, despite Silas’ pity segment in #4 he comes across as kinda flat and one dimensional, and the same can be said for pretty much every other character in the book, which is a pity because some of them could’ve been really interesting. Bobby particularly intrigued me in issue 2, pity by issue 3 he was relegated to another soldier of the army-de-generica

I’m sorry, but they did nothing to sell the technosapiens as interesting, they’re generic aliens with generic dialogue and a generic look (I’ve seen Live. Die. Repeat./Edge of Tomorrow) as for the the other guys, meh, just a bunch of generic ‘resistance fighters’ who have revealed a tough edge to them

I just kind of wish the first two issues didn’t beat us over the head with the idea that Victor’s relationship with his father was complicated. We got the point, give us something else.

#1 4/10

#2 4/10

#3 4/10

#4 6/10

Overall: 4.5/10

Recommendation: This is one where the story might get better, so maybe pick up the first trade and see if you like it enough to keep going. As for me, it sadly languishes as yet another DCYou title I’m dropping.

Next: Join us in December as we take a look at rebooted sensation, Archie

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Images used in this review are from Batman and Robin Eternal and belong to their respective owners. All images in this review are subject to fair use