Midnighter #8 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I like Orlando, but, at some point, we've got to stop treating each issue as a jumping-on point for new readers.  I mean, how many times can Midnighter tell us that he has a fight computer in his brain?  (He does it twice in this issue, in case you're wondering.)

Part of the reason why everything in this issue feels repetitive is that Midnighter is apparently the subject of a documentary film that a guy named Robert is making.  It gives Orlando an excuse to have Midnighter not only re-hash his origin story, but also to summarize his fight with Prometheus last issue. (Of note, he definitively claims that he destroyed the file in Prometheus' brain and that he killed him.)  Robert is, of course, almost immediately in love with Midnighter, but duty calls.  (I can't remember how exactly, but we'll leave it at that.)

We're introduced to a guy named Mindawe:  he has the power to create chimeras and communicate with animals through his connection to the Red.  However, a group called the Sportsman's Ambition has synthesized his abilities, without the telepathy.  It means that they can create monsters for "sportsmen" to hunt, but the animals are confused and in pain.  Midnighter helps Mindawe take down the group, and he's almost immediately onto his next mission.  He's contacted by Helena to join forces with Spyral to go after the Perdition Pistol, one of the first items that he recovered after he left the Garden.

The good news about this issue is that the new artist may not have ACO's sense of flow, but he does a great job providing more details to the characters' features (a contrast to ACO's generally sparse line-work).  The bad news is again that the story is just too sparse.  Beyond spending too much time rehashing Midnighter's origin, Orlando also jumps from plot point to plot point with little time spent on characterization.  If we had less time on the origin and not introduced Helena into next issue, Mindawe might've felt less like an afterthought.  But, he does, and it's a weaker issue for it.

** (two of five stars)

Midnighter #7 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I love this issue, even though I'm not sure I follow all the superhero parts.

Prometheus is indeed revealed to be Matt and conveniently exposits his backstory for us.  He was the son of a modern-day version of Bonnie and Clyde and, when cops killed them in front of him, he swore that he'd fight against "justice."  (Throughout the amazing fight sequence that ACO delivers here, Prometheus frequently observes that Midnighter, as a "hero," uses the same tactics against his enemies that made them "enemies" in the eyes of "justice" in the first place.)  He uses his parents' resources to become the criminal version of Batman, traveling to Shamballa and getting something called the Cosmic Key.  He used the Key to steal the technology from the God Garden, and he now has not only those enhancements but the knowledge and skills of 30 of the world's best fighters.  He's also using the Holt-Griffin cells to neuter Midnighter's own enhancements. 

To up the ante, Prometheus reveals that he created the house that Midnighter thought was Matt's house from Midnighter's own memories.  (It's easy to let the emotional impact of this revelation get lost in the fight, but it really is compelling sad that Midnighter doesn't recognize his own childhood home.  It gives you a sense of what he's lost.)  Moreover, Prometheus uploaded Midnighter's origin file into his brain and destroyed the original file.  As such, when Midnighter has him on the ropes, Prometheus forces him to chose:  keep him alive and possibly access the file or kill him (as he "should" do as a "hero" to prevent him from harming anyone else) and lose his past.  In the end, he keeps him alive, and Prometheus flees.

I'm left with three questions and a complaint from this section.  First, Orlando never specifies why Prometheus chose Midnighter as his target.  Was he just a target of opportunity?  Did Matt just happen to be in that restaurant in issue #1 and realize that he could start his campaign against superheroes then and there?  Or, did he know that Midnighter specifically would be there and ensure that he was there to put his plan into action?  Second, I'm not exactly sure what Midnighter did at the end.  He punched Prometheus' head between his hands, and ACO shows a series of memory cards appear around them.  Did Midnighter somehow destroy those memories?  Or, since they mostly just show their shared history together, was it just showing that they're done as a couple (obviously)?  This question goes to my next question.  Why did Midnighter just leave Prometheus lying there to escape?  Even if he didn't kill him, he certainly would've wanted to strip out the God Garden technology to make him less dangerous, wouldn't he?  Even if the memories were lost, would he really want to leave a guy that hates "justice" running around the place with that power set?  Finally, my complaint here is that Midnighter really, really shouldn't have won this fight.  If he really had been turned into a regular human, Prometheus would've mopped the floor with him.  But, Midnighter is really never seen as not in control of the fight.  In fact, he makes short work of Prometheus.

But, the best part of this issue - the part that gets it the fourth star - is the soul-searching that Midnighter does after the fight.  He spends time with his friend Jason and confronts the fact that Matt fooled him.  This conundrum is made all the worse by the fact that he legitimately tried not fighting this time.  Was it just bad luck that the time that he tries to be normal he winds up dating a super-villain?  Midnighter tells Jason that he has to be able trust his (Midnighter's) judgement, but Jason tells him that he's facing the problem that all us normal people face:  can you ever really know someone?  Jason tells him not to feel like he has to be perfect, because he can't be.  (Jason also tells him that people play games in the real world, too; it just sucks that the games in his world mean that he almost gets stabbed in the heart.)  Midnighter continues his tour of self-discovery, chatting with Marina and leaving a (burnt) photo of himself as a teenager that he rescued from the wreckage of the house for Apollo.  (Intriguing.)  He wonders to Tony if it's worth getting out there again and what it means that, for once, he didn't see something coming.  But, then Jason texts him and invites him to go out and Orlando shows us that our guy is OK as he tells Tony, with a smile, that he'll never stop fighting.  It just seems that he's been able to redefine what "fighting" means.

**** (four of five stars)

Midnighter #6 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Ho boy.  Midnighter is not going to take this well.

Let's start at the beginning.  The issue opens with Midnighter fighting off the attack on Matt.  After he tackles him and removes him from the line of fine, Midnighter takes the fight to the helicopter where the gunmen are located.  (This entire fight sequence is amazing.  ACO uses small embedded panels to show Midnighter moving from Point A to Point B.  Usually, I find those panels distracting, but it really works here in showing how fast he's going and how fluid his movements are.)  The attackers are revealed to be a HYDRA-like group called Multiplex.  (Midnighter apparently faced them previously over the "Rohmer reactor," but I didn't really remember that.  I had to re-read issue #3 to remember that it was the device that transferred life essences into someone looking to prolong his life and that Multiplex is actually the DCnU's version of Jamie Madrox.)

After Midnighter takes out the attackers, Matt has to renovate his now-destroyed apartment.  As such, we get a sequence of them engaging in sexy time in different places around the world as the renovations happen.  It's sweet, particularly when Matt expresses a reluctance to return to reality and Midnighter cockily replies that he can kick its (reality's) ass.  Soon upon arriving in the new place, Matt gets a call and learns that some hoodlums roughed up his dad.  They immediately go to the idyllic suburb in Connecticut where Matt was raised, and Midnighter is disturbed by the fact that he can find no traces of evidence, even with his enhancements.  He baits some locals into attacking him, but he realizes that they know nothing.  As Matt expresses concern that Midnighter can't keep him safe, Midnighter realizes that he can't see the future just as they're attacked by some folks that commandeered a school bus.  He discovers that the attackers are robots, and he realizes that he's been fooled by "Holt-Griffin skin," a type of technology that blocks other technology.  He also realizes that Matt's dad is a plant, an "industrial homunculi."  After he destroys him, Midnighter tries to comfort a distraught Matt, only for "Matt" to stab him and reveal that he's Prometheus (something I only knew because the "Next Issue" box says simply, "Prometheus").

OK, we have a lot to discuss here.  First, we know so little about Matt that it's hard to be shocked by the revelation at the end.  In fact, I had to go searching through my back issues just to remember what we know about him.  I actually thought that he was an agent of a foreign government, but, re-reading issue #1, I was reminded that he was actually just a patron at the restaurant that the Modorans attacked searching for said agents.  Issue #3 says that he's a banker, though he doesn't seem to go to work that much.  But, it all goes to the point that he very well could have been Prometheus this entire time and we wouldn't have known any different.  Midnighter gets into a relationship with him so quickly that it's perfectly believable that Prometheus manipulated him from the start.  Second, I'm having a hard time making connections.  For example, is Multiplex linked to Prometheus?  The fact that I had to re-read so many issues just to understand this one certainly shows that Orlando is telling a deep story.  But, it also shows that we could probably use some more aggressive use of editor's notes to help us move through the issues more seamlessly.

The biggest question is obviously whether Prometheus has been Matt this entire time, or if Matt is...somewhere.  (Probably not Heaven, since he's a banker.)  But, we also need to know what beef Prometheus has with Midnighter, since it's not clear to me at this point.  Why did he have to lure Midnighter into his nest?  Why not a frontal assault?  Does it have something to do with the theft from the God Garden?  Everything's feeling a little jumbled, and I feel like we could really use some answers.  Clearly, Midnighter also wants the same answers, so the confusion works in terms of the narrative.  But, I'd like a little less confusion, a little more ass-kicking right now.

*** (three of five stars)

Midnighter #4-#5 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I honestly don't have too much to say about this two-issue arc.  Midnighter kidnaps Dick to help him take down one of the guys using God Garden tech, though it seems pretty clear that the only reason that he did so was to see him naked in a sauna.  (Fair.)  Dick decides to stay on the case since the thief, named Akakyevich, experimented with the technology on innocent people.  For Akakyevich's part, he used these people to create something called the Beast Battalion, splicing together their bodies with animals and the tech.  However, he really wanted to get his hands on Midnighter's computer brain so he could sell it to militaries around the world.  Not surprisingly, the Abdominally Gifted Duo make pretty short work of the Battalion and him.  Along the way, we're treated to an incredible amount of flirting, like when Midnighter lets Dick save him in the aforementioned sauna simply because he enjoys hearing Dick scream his name.  Needless to say, it's all good fun.

*** (three of five stars)

Midnighter #3 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Although this issue has the requisite fight-of-the-week, it's really about Midnighter's personal life, and I couldn't be happier about that.

The fight part of the story involves Midnighter retrieving a girl that some bad guys plugged into a machine stolen from the God Garden.  Said machine drains the life force of kids and transfers it to adults.  It's a regular Fountain of Youth.  Seeing kids manipulated like he was as a child doesn't sit well with Midnighter, so he frees the kid and gets the name of the guy that sold said bad guys the machine in the first place.  The issue ends with Midnighter kidnapping Grayson to help him track down the guy in Moscow (or, as he calls it, "date night").

Although that part is totally solid as stories go, the "life" part is much more interesting.  Midnighter is casually dating the banker, Matt.  Jason, the guy from the first issue, is comfortably moving into the friend zone.  We learn that this situation is pretty much exactly why he ended his relationship with Apollo:  he had never been with another guy before Apollo, and he felt the need to live his life outside the confines of their relationship.  In other words, he wanted to be out and about, something that I'd wager most gays felt at some point in their lives.  It's also a sentiment that fits with the possibility of him discovering his past if he ever tracks down the file stolen from the God Garden:  he's in the process of becoming a real person, no longer defined by other people.

My only problem (and it's small) with the series at this point is that I still have trouble buying the ease with which the men in Midnighter's life embrace the violence inherent to it.  Orlando actually addresses that here, with Matt letting Midnighter know that his mother was a doctor, so he's comfortable with the sight of blood.  (Orlando even goes a step further, with Matt hilariously telling Midnighter that he's also comfortable hearing about the underside of society because he's a banker.)  But, at the end of the day, Midnighter isn't Spider-Man.  He enjoys the violence, as ACO brilliantly shows in this issue with a splash page of him smiling gleefully as he beats up some clones.  It's this part that seems to me would be difficult for a normal guy to accept.  I mean, wouldn't you worry that you're dating a sociopath?  But, Orlando makes it clear that they know that walking in the door, so I probably need to get over it.

Speaking of ACO, his return is a welcome relief.  I found Morgan's scratchy lines to be overly distracting last issue.  ACO's pencils in the first issue weren't all that well defined, but he's much more traditional here, and it works better.  One of my worries after Morgan is that this series isn't going to get the artist that it deserves, something that can spell trouble for any series.  Fingers crossed that we settle down a bit in the art department, because I'm becoming really invested in this series.

*** (three of five stars)

Midnighter #2 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Orlando is telling a lot of stories on a lot of levels in this series, and it's impressive that they're all evident in just the second issue.

First, I'm intrigued by the fact no one seems particularly concerned by how violent Midnighter is.  The guy that he was seeing last issue didn't seem to mind, and the guy that he's seeing in this issue actually seems excited by it.  Even Marina, the woman that he sort of recruits in this issue, agrees to listen to him as he goes on his missions, even though she doesn't really seem to have any reason to do so other than boredom.  It raises the question whether they all live in a world where this type of meta-human violence is so prevalent that it's lost all meaning or if Midnighter isn't exactly surrounding himself with the healthiest people.

Separately, the premise of the next few issues -- of Midnighter retrieving the items stolen from the God Garden -- is pretty great.  First, since the guy who provided Marina with the equipment she needed to make herself a super-villain used Hypnos, I have to wonder if Spyral is somehow involved.  Second, we don't know why the guy is supplying random people with equipment.  For example, we have no insight about how he knew about Marina's tragedy (that her husband was killed by a chemical that a corporation knew could've been hazardous) or why he chose her specifically to empower.  (That said, let me also mention how freaking awesome Marina's powers were.  The Six Killing Sounds?  Coolness.)

Moreover, we've got Midnighter's identity issue in the background, though, to be honest, I'm having problems keeping those problems separate from Bloodshot's similar issues.  I want to know why Midnighter eventually felt it was necessary to tell Apollo that he functionally had no identity.  Or, did Apollo discover the truth on his own?  (The latter seems more likely, since he was mad at Midnighter for hiding the truth from  him.)  But, putting aside the Apollo issue, we also have Midnighter spreading his wings as a gay man for the first time, and Orlando is really hitting that mark amazingly well.

However, we need to talk about the art.  Morgan uses a scratchy style similar to the one that Aco used in the first issue.  It sort of works for most of this issue, particularly the action sequences, though Aco used this style more skillfully.  But, it does a terrible job of conveying emotions, particularly during the scene where Apollo and Midnighter end their relationship.  For example, in the panel where Apollo activates his powers while fighting with Midnighter, the table that he throws doesn't even conform to basic aspects of perspective and Midnighter's eye is literally just a triangle with some blue in the middle of it.  I'm really excited about this book, and, as should be clear, I'm thrilled with the writing.  But, two artists in two issues (and one artist not seemingly bringing his A game) makes me worried that the editors are just phoning in their support.

*** (three of five stars)

Midnighter #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

As a gay guy, I don't often find myself able to put myself in the position of a character going on a date with a superhero.  But, Orlando lets me do exactly that here, as Midnighter goes on a date with a guy, named Jason, that he met on a dating app.  Shenanigans ensue when Midnighter has to kill a bunch of enhanced soldiers that appear to assassinate three traitors that apparently just so happened to be in that restaurant.  But, Jason agrees to a second date, and it gets weirder, from a date perspective.  After they sleep together, Midnighter immediately tags him with a chip that allows him to contact him at any time.  Even more disturbingly, he begins telling him all about Apollo, leading Jason to remark that Midnighter is the definition of coming on strong.  But, the date ends when the God Garden is ransacked by an unknown assailant, and Midnighter discovers that the Gardener kept a file on his original history, despite what she told him.  In other words, if I were Jason, I'd think twice about a third date.

Orlando gives us an engaging story here, portraying Midnighter as a man adrift.  His relationship with Apollo has apparently come to an end, and the guy that we see here is more emotional than the one that I was expecting, given my limited knowledge of the character.  I actually welcome that, since I'd rather not read about an even more emotionally unavailable Bruce Wayne.  In fact, I found myself really warming to Midnighter, and it's not just because Aco made him a pretty damn attractive package.  Orlando makes it clear that we're reading about a man on a journey to discover himself, dropping some of the bravado that came in his previous incarnation.  I could definitely get behind that story.  However, Orlando also has to make it clear that he means it that way.  As Jason says, Midnighter comes on overly strong here, seemingly unhinged.  Again, a guy like Midnighter, to me, would probably be looking for meaningless sex for a while; tagging a guy on the first date seems a little uncharacteristically forward.  I've offered a hypothesis here for what I think is happening, but, at some point, Orlando actually has to tell us that he means it that way.  Otherwise, Midnighter is just going to seem erratic.

That said, I am still new to Midnighter, so some sort of overview of his past would be helpful.  As I made clear in my reviews of the Gardener when she appeared in "Grayson," I really have no idea who she is or what her deal is, so Orlando is going to need to fill in those blanks for me, particularly as they relate to Midnighter.  Plus, to appreciate his feelings over the loss of Apollo, it would be helpful to know more about their relationship in the first place.  It's only the first issue, so Orlando has time, obviously.  But, I wanted to lay down that marker here.  Also, it would be nice to know who the hell those enhanced soldiers were, lest we're left thinking that Midnighter just so happens to be the type of guy that just so happens to go to a restaurant that just so happens to have three traitors to the same cause in it at the same time.  He may be, but let's not push it.

*** (three of five stars)