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THE ESTABLISHMENT #6
"England's Glory"
Recommended (8/10)
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DC Comics/Wildstorm Productions
Writer: Ian Edginton
Artist: Charlie Adlard
Colors: Wildstorm FX
Letters: Jenna Garcia
Editor: Jeff Mariotte
Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN |
So the Establishment has gone public, and they've been upstaged by the arrival of a 1950s-era space exploration unit, returned to Earth in the middle of a press conference with no signs of aging whatsoever. An intriguing premise, to say the least, and one that Edginton and Adlard follow up on in a most unconventional way, mostly exploring what this change in status quo does to the two groups. In general, the after-effects involve heavy drinking, strippers and shopping. The creators are still playing a little too coy with their identification of the characters, and the introduction of six new ones in this arc doesn't help matters, but overall this is solid post-Authority
super-heroics, and the book deserves a lot more buzz than it's getting.
I'm still awfully vague on
just who a lot of these characters are, to be quite honest, and that lack of
identification is the biggest problem of the book. Fortunately, the ones I do
know, I quite like, and the exploration of the various characters in this issue
is great. I've become enormously fond of the odd-looking but relatively normal
in personality Mister Pharmacist, and I was instantly drawn to the various
members of the Alexandria's crew, who are a nice mixture of adventurous
scientists and down-to-earth people. Though the mixing of the two teams, mostly
in civilian attire, made it hard to figure out who was who at times, I did enjoy
the realism involved in what celebrities really might do in their down-time.
As always, Charlie Adlard's
artwork is stunning, and it seems to get better with every issue. There are a
lot of folks in civilian identities this issue, and so he can't rely on the
cheats of costumes and masks, instead defining the various characters through
careful facial detail and expressions. That's not to say that Adlard isn't
called upon to do some more pyrotechnic work this issue, though, ranging from
the unusual appearance of "Mother" to the surprising and disturbing conclusion
of the issue.
Alongside the interesting
notions raised in the end, and of course the interaction between the returned
starship crew and the Establishment, this issue further develops the story of
Charlie Arrows and his grand-daughter. Last month I had mixed up Arrows and
Drake, and I'm glad to see that Arrows remains a part of this book. The scene
this issue is a classic example of the secretive and sinister villain recruiting
someone, and I look forward to seeing where that part of the story goes.
The Establishment is not as ground-breaking as a lot of
super-hero team books, but it does have its own distinctive flavor and a solid
grasp on the essentials of the genre. With each passing issue, I become more and
more interested in this well-done super-team story.
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