Written by: Scott Beatty

Art by: Mike Huddleston

Didn’t I just drop this book?

I don’t like ragging on Gen13, to be honest. It’s always been a fun book, even when it’s bad. I picked up the relaunch when it hit because of the magical name of “Gail Simone” and I dropped it when the name went away. Honestly, I wasn’t too huge on how they were doing it. I miss the old school approach to the team that is long since gone. It just hasn’t felt like Gen13 since…..ummmmm, probably since Adam Warren was on the book last. But this isn’t a review of the relaunch, this is about the WorldsEnd.

Time flies when you’re on the run

Wildstorm is up to their most recent reboot/relaunch/world-changing-event, and this time it’s Worldsend. Where everything is post apocalyptic without taking a massive time jump, which means that we get to see the characters we’ve been following along with for all these months/years as they deal with the fallout. While the need to change the status quo again might bother some, I can see and appreciate where it’s coming from. DC is trying to seperate the line from the rest of the comics world, try and do something that isn’t being done elsewhere. And I kinda dig it, a post-apocalyptic world that isn’t an alternate future, or an alternate reality.

So it’s back to Gen13 for me, and how is it?

Admittedly I have no idea what’s been happening the past ten issues or so, but I still dove right in. The team has apparently become unstuck in time, dropping them off with no knowledge of what happened to the world after all the fireworks have hit. They did manage a brief view into the apocalypse as it happened though, which left a status changing effect that I hope will stay as Burnout was blinded by the light.

Classic Gen13

Scott Beatty proves himself more then capable of handling the team this issue, delivering a strong starting issue full of good characterization and strong wit. The characters are series, but they still make with the funny, and hey, it’s not eye roll worthy! Grunge is a sex fiend, Caitlin is the heart and soul, Roxy is easily made jealous, and Bobby is…..just as he was when the book launched again, sympathetic. Sarah has, in my opinion (dating back to the original mini series), always just been there. She was the token lesbian that skinny dipped and made for great cheesecake….and unfortunately, she doesn’t even get that here. She gets a scene where she randomly is wearing a cowboy hat in the old west reciting a Clint Eastwood line that is….well, dumb. So unfortunately, that’s one thing Beatty got right. Sarah is still the blandest person on the team.

….what?

The book opens with the team chasing down a Ratcatcher through some teleportation limbo when the explosion hits. Bobby gets his eyes fried out by it, saving the others. Grunge frees them, apparently, a few pages later and they find themselves in I/O. Roxy discovers it’s been six months since whatever happened happened, but without a clue as to what it is that caused this lone Ratcatcher to tally up six months worth of days. There’s a short fight with said Ratcatcher before they go up to the surface and Roxy gets a view of the new New York.

All in all it isn’t a very deep issue, and not a whole lot happens, but it does set them up for big things to come. As far as first issues for a new creative team go, I’ll call it a strong start. I’ll definitely be checking out the next issue and hoping that Beatty can keep up the good work.

On the art side of things, Huddleston does a pretty good job, though I notice that he randomly animeizes (as I like to call it) peoples faces for certain emotions, which bugs me. He also doesn’t seem to be very well adjusted at drawing faces in the background (there is a panel with a faceless Grunge talking to Roxy, I shit you not). Other then that, I think he does a rather good job, not great by any means, but I still enjoyed it.

If you’re interested in the team, or the events of Worldsend, I say give it a shot. It’s a good first issue, not great, but it’s certainly worth a look.

6/10

Last 5 posts by Grey Scherl

• The Gold Standard #15 - November 18th, 2008
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• The Gold Standard #13 - November 5th, 2008
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