Rogue Sun #19 Review

Background – Even when they work together, they can’t agree on things.

Writing – Since this is a split storyline, let’s cover Dylan first.

Dylan, for all of his faults (and he has A LOT of faults) really is trying this time around. After getting his body hijacked in the last arc, he has come to fully embrace his destiny as Rogue Sun. But he wants to do it better than his dad and grandpa ever did and because of that, he dismisses a lot of what his father says right off the bat. He’s more of the fighter and lover than the detective type. He’s like a kid playing a video game for the first time. While his father is always assessing the surroundings and searching for clues, Dylan just wants to get the boss battle. Like many kids, he wants to be taught, not to be lectured. When he fights Alienator, he recognizes that Alienator regrets making a deal with the literal devil and wants to try and save him from his current fate. What child doesn’t want to save someone?  He desperately wants to meet and take on Mourningstar for some reason, maybe to save his dad or maybe to … do something. Gah! Normally I have an idea of where a storyline is headed, but I can’t even make a prediction in this case, at least when it comes to Dylan.

Now onto Marcus. Marcus is a different story altogether.  He has all the knowledge in the world about Rogue Sun and its enemies, but he is constantly frustrated by the fact that nobody (or in this case Dylan) is listening to him. He’s your typical boomer: grumpy and griping about today’s kids, so sure that his way is the only way. He’s shocked and impressed that Dylan pulls out some moves that actually takes Alienator down, but is equally as frustrated to learn that Dylan refuses to kill his opponents. In his mind, that’s the only way to end things. These villains are beyond redemption. Saving everyone is a child’s dream. Marcus desperately wants to meet Mourningstar for some reason, and unlike Dylan I’ve got a pretty good idea why: Mourningstar made a deal with the first Rogue Sun and that’s how these powers were created. Good came out of a literal deal with the devil. Time will tell if I’m right or not.

Artwork – I love looking at Rogue Sun. He’s like a walking furnace, always brimming with power that is just waiting to burst out of its shell. Marcus is well rendered, always looking like an exasperated parent. Yet…

The art in this book is a lot of fun, but now that we’ve had 19 issue of Rogue Sun it has become apparent that the things that pop out on the page are not our heroes and friends, but all these monsters. For a thing that looks like a gladiator Cubone with a cat face and dreads, Alienator is quite expressive. All of these creatures have been amazing, and Alienator is no exception.

Final Thoughts – Let’s get the negative out of the way: this is a flip book. WHY IS THIS A FLIP BOOK? I get it helps to show the different train of thoughts between the two inhabitants of the armor, but when I read a comic, I like reading it front to back. Not front to back and then flipping it over to start over. There must have been a better way of presenting this story. Plus, if the ending rings true then I’m worried that every issue of this story arc is going to be presented this way.

On the positive side of things, we have Dylan with his drive to do things better than his father ever did. Marcus desperately wants to save his son from getting himself killed (or maybe just save Rogue Sun from getting himself killed.) We have a functioning dysfunctional father / son duo, which always makes for great reading. This book is like reading the early days of Bruce & Damian. Together as a team they are unbeatable, but as a team they still need a lot of work. This book has yet to falter in any of its stories, but please don’t make another flip book issue. It reminds me of the fun but impossible to read X-Force issues from the early 1990’s when they crossed over with Spider-Man.

Oh, and lay off Depeche Mode. They’re awesome!

Comic Detail

Final score: 3 out of 5

Publisher:  Massiveverse (Image)

Writers:  Ryan Parrot & Nick Cotton

Artist: Marco Renna

Colorist: Natalia Marques

Letterer: Becca Garey

Genre:  Sci-Fi

Format: Monthly

Release Date: 05/22/2024