Monday, December 21, 2009

REBELS #10

Writer: Tony Bedard. Artist: Andy Clark.

What Happened: It's Blackest Night crossover time everybody! This issue begins with Stealth, the mother of Dox's son, being reanimated as a Black Lantern. From there we head to Dox's ship where Adam Strange and Captain Comet inform Dox that Black Lanterns are currently plaguing the universe. Although intrigued by the thought of "zombies with power rings", Dox decides that the first order of business is to rid the universe of the menace of Starro. While Dox is talking business with the earthlings, Bounder, one of the members of REBELS, rushes over and alerts Dox that Strata, her family and Dox's son, Lyrl, are all missing. Dox orders Bounder to retrieve Wildstar, the team's tracker, immediately. Meanwhile, Lyrl and Strata's family are standing face to face with Starro's big guns, the Vanguard. The Vanguard only want Lyrl alive, so they go to kill Strata and company. Lyrl tells them that he'll go peacefully with them provided they leave Strata and her family alone, which they do. The REBELS comb the planet searching for Lyrl, but find only Strata and her family. Dox demands to know what happened, and Strata explains that Lyrl went with Starro's forces, which sends Dox into a rage. Lyrl is sent by the Vanguard to Maltus, the planet Starro the Conqueror is currently operating from, and Lyrl is brought before the Conqueror himself. Starro has Lyrl fitted with one of his starfish and Lyrl pledges to serve Starro as a member of his Vanguard, provided Starro refers to him as Brainiac 3 from now on. Dox and his REBELS decide to evacuate the planet they were hiding out on since Starro obviously knew they were there and head towards Earth, since Lyrl's capture means Starro will be able to escape from the star system Dox had him trapped in. Starro's Vanguard spots Dox's ship trying to sneak away and immediately attacks it. Before the Vanguard can do any irreparable harm to the ship, BL Stealth intercedes and kills one of the Vanguard, tearing out it's heart. Upon seeing that sight, Dox decides to get the hell away from there, and he sends his ship into hyperspace. Upon exiting hyperspace several light years away, Dox and his REBELS find themselves trapped in the middle of a battle between the Sinestro Corps and Black Lantern Harbinger(!). BL Harbinger halts her attack on the Sinestro Corps long enough to destroy Dox's ship, as well as alerting BL Stealth as to Dox's whereabouts. BL Harbinger then resumes her assault on the Sinestro Corps members while BL Stealth attacks the stranded REBELS members. This issue ends with BL Harbinger killing one of the Sinestro Corps members and Dox becoming selected by the Sinestro ring to join the Sinestro Corps, an offer Dox is all to pleased to accept!

What I Thought: Although the Blackest Night stuff interfered with the main Starro storyline a little bit, this was still an exceptional issue of this series. So now Dox's son Lyrl, who's intelligence rivals that of his father, is serving under Starro. THAT is definitely going to provide Dox with some big time problems down the road. Now anything Dox does/plans, Lyrl will be able to counter for Starro. While I really liked Lyrl on the "good", non-Starro side in this storyline, I can see how placing him with Starro enhances the story and makes Starro into an even greater menace. Oh, and Dox as a member of the Sinestro Corps is a fantastic idea! I'm pretty sure Dox will get rid of the ring once the Blackest Night x-over stuff ends, but I'll definitely enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts. Anyway, this was a great issue, as usual. I'll be waiting impatiently for the next issue!

Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.Dox + Sinestro Corps = AWESOME!!!

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