Review: Steelworks #6

Steelworks #6 came out last week, the last issue of a very entertaining mini-series focusing on John Henry Irons wondering if he should change his life and rid himself of his Steel persona all while dealing with some revenge-driven people from his past.

Michael Dorn, that's right Worf from Star Trek fame, writes a fun story that has pushed John Henry forward a bit while keeping him pretty much embedded within the super-family. John is worried he is becoming Steel and losing himself. He wants to protect Metropolis making the supers superfluous. He wants to create limitless energy. And he wants to marry Lana. In the end, he realizes that perhaps he doesn't need to change things so dramatically. 

But to get there, he needs to fight the former CEO or Amertek. While all the character stuff about Steel is played seriously, Dorn gives me something I realize now that I needed ... an old school villain. Mr. Walker could walk away with the zero energy generator. Instead he loses his mind, screaming insanity, and being hell bent on revenge with a giant mecha. Glorious!

There is some loose comic book science, done to keep the Kryptonians on the sideline so Steel can save the day. But that also felt classic to me.

Sami Basri and Vicente Cifuentes bring pleasing art to the proceedings. Everyone just looks great. If a 'Lana as Super-Woman' story get put in the Action Comics anthology, I vote they be on art. It all looks top notch here. 

I doubt we'll get a sequel but this was worth it. Kudos to Dorn for stepping in. On to the book.

Review: Steelworks #5

Steelworks #5 came out a couple of weeks ago, the penultimate issue of a very entertaining mini-series.

I have been pretty impressed with how celebrity writer Michael Dorn has crafted this tale. The spine of this story is John Henry Irons looking into mirror and trying to figure out who he wants to be moving forward. He is truly afraid that the Steel part of his life is taking over. Is he still Irons? I wonder how much of this is some personal experience on Dorn's part. Is he Michael Dorn? Or 'the guy who played Worf'? Or even 'Worf'? Seeing the man struggle with the super-man is interesting and has been handled well.

But Dorn has tacked on a revenge plot. Former employees in Amertek are out to ruin Irons ... and ruin Steel. This issue takes a pretty funny turn, an almost silly Bronze Age super-villain move that made me smile and somehow works. 

I don't usually have high hopes for celebrities who come in to write but Dorn has acquited himself well.

Sami Basri and Vicente Cifuentes remain on art and bring a fun atmosphere. I like the art here a lot, just veering to the cartoonish without crossing it. 

I'll be sad to see this end. On to the book.

Review: Steelworks #4

Steelworks #4 came out this week and was a decent middle chapter as we enter the back half of this mini-series. I have overall been very pleased with this book but this book is built on a plot point that I found a little hard to swallow.

Writer Michael Dorn has been weaving a solid story of John Henry Irons hoping to bring clean energy to Metropolis. A side bonus of this energy would be to install a technological defense system that would make super-heroes unnecessary, including Henry's Steel persona. Embedded into the story are a few character beats. Natasha wondering why John wants to stop being Steel. Lana and John and their love story is unfolding. And, of course, the villains from Amertek wanting to control the energy.

This issue is really focused around the new energy source, fueled by the Genesis stone from Warworld. John wants to use it. The Silver Mist wants to steal it. It has serious side effects to those around them. But there are some problems for me in how it unfolds. John's protection of the zero energy globe is suspect in my mind. The explanation around the side effects has a big plot hole. And even how it ultimately gets in the hands of the villains seems wrong. This was a bumpier ride than the prior issues.

The art by Sami Basri and Vicente Cifuentes continues to be smooth and polished. There are some hyper-stylized expressions But the page layouts and panel shapes really help drive the story forward. I've always like Basri.

So overall, a decent issue. On to the issue.

Review: Steelworks #3

Steelworks #3 came out last week and remains an unexpected delight in my reading pile. I have admitted in the past that I thought Michael Dorn as a comic writer was a stunt. But dang, he is killing it on this book, respectful of DC history while carving a new path for Steel. 

One of the underlying plots here is John Henry Irons trying to make Metropolis a safe city through technology. He wants to shed himself of his armor. He wants to make the super-family superfluous in Metropolis. And he wants to bring free energy to the wall. But at times he sounds almost like a fanatic. Those aims could veer into Luthor-ville. 

What I find interesting is that each issue seems to show that Irons probably isn't going to get there. On this world, it'll be hard to be completely safe. It'll be hard to be completely magnanimous. Steel is the straw that stirs the drink of this book. But the super-family, especially Natasha, are around to help.

I find this book a very interesting read. It is dense and heady. But Dorn knows he needs to put action in the story to keep it moving. It's working.

The art is again mixed by Sami Basri and Vicente Cifuentes. There is a polished feel to the pages. They certainly know their way around the super-family. 

On to the book.

Review: Steelworks #2

Steelworks #2 came out last week and was another interesting issue for this new series. I feel there is a lot of potential in this book with multiple plots and character points all sort of being unveiled as the book progresses.

Writer Michael Dorn has sort of jumped into the deep end of the DCU, diving into continuity, bringing in the super family, and concentrating on technology as the sort of spine of the book. Steelworks against versus Amertek is a solid plot, like Stark against Hammer. Amertek giving powers to disgruntled workers who feel wronged by Irons is great. And this all is built on this idea Irons has to keep Metropolis safe solely through technology. This issue brings us a new villain amping up the threat.

But on top of that plot undercurrent are great character threads. Steel wanting to shut out the super-family from protecting Metropolis is very interesting. His wanting to have tech completely protect humans could spin down a 'is this villainous' take. But what I like most about this is how Natasha is not on board. Some friction between those two is very interesting. Add this simmering Lana romance and you have some fodder for a solid book. 

Both Sami Basri and Max Raynor are listed as artists on the book. The book flows well. There is no specific breakdown on who is doing so hard for me to know exactly. Good action, some fun page layouts, and an appearance from the Super-family makes this is a visually strong issue as well.

I am pretty excited about this book so far! On to some specifics.

Review: Steelworks #1

Steelworks #1 came out last week and was a wonderful first issue. I have to admit that I was a bit worried when actor Michael Dorn was revealed as the writer for this book because it seemed like a stunt. After all, I know him as 'actor' Michael Dorn, not writer Michael Dorn. But Dorn crafts a great tale here, doing all the things a first issue should do to grab a reader and have them want to read more. Add some lovely Sami Basri art and I am already looking forward to issue two.

We'll start with the character of John Henry Irons, Steel. We recently saw in the lead-in back-ups of Action Comics that Irons is trying to turn Metropolis into some high-tech paradise. Dorn builds on those in a way that feels more like a natural progression of Irons' character. He is an inventor. He became Steel to honor Superman and protect people. So his wanting to use his skills to invent to save Metropolis on a city-level, it reads like a progression. 

What is the interesting hook is that he wants to protect Metropolis so that the Superman family doesn't have to be active, doesn't have to save people. Now I suppose what Henry means his that he's got Metropolis so the Supers can be elsewhere. But in some places it sounds Luthor-ian, that the people need to save themselves and not rely on Superman. It makes Henry suddenly 'gray' and makes me want to see where it will all go. Still charming, still humble ... but with the potential go dark if he thinks his way is the way.

So we have an interesting direction there. But even better, Dorn wants to embrace Steel's history and DC continuity. From rapid fire recaps of his early career to his relationship with Lana to Lena Luthor, Dprn dives in deep. 

Lastly, if technology is going to be the hero, then it looks like technology will be the villain. An enemy company is the first villain. But I get the sense that the upcoming villains are also tied into the technological world. 

I have been a fan of Sami Basri since his work on the Power Girl series way back in the day. The art here is great. Basri knows how to draw super-heroes and the Super-family. I love his Supergirl, seen briefly here. But everything is polished and sharp. Basri is a great fit here.

On to the book.