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Part One | Part Three
Diving back in again! This time, covering issues #4 - #6 of the 90's Mr Majestic series from Wildstorm.
Let's get started:
Issue #4: Being & Nothingness
Summary: Majestic and Desmond find a way to restore Maj's son, but possibly at the cost of the whole universe.
My thoughts: Okay, remember when I said I loved the sci-fi themes to this series and how they weren't afraid to go a bit dark? Yeah, this issue is a prime example of that. This issue introduces Majestic's son, who was apparently kept in stasis since his arrival on Earth. Now, as someone who went into this series with no prior knowledge of the characters, I had no clue Maj was a father. It's also unclear if this is a previously established fact of his backstory, or made up entirely for the purposes of this issue. Whichever the case, this was surprisingly good. I feel like it would have worked better if spread out over more issues, but the main idea still gets across even if condensing the story took out some of the emotional impact it could have had. The son's character design was adorable, but we don't get any real sense of who he is as a person until the final pages, so the writer relies mostly on our connection to Maj and how the events are affecting him specifically. Which, I have to say, worked pretty well. There's a panel near the end that I won't spoil, but it was a punch to the gut when I saw it the first time.
My one complaint is that there was a bit of character drama going on for Desmond, with his feeling left out or replaced, and it was never resolved. This comic also featured the first real argument between him and Maj, and I felt it should have at least been acknowledged at the end -- especially considering the heavy topic they were arguing about and what ended up happening as a result. I'll hold off on judging them too harshly for this, however, in the hopes that the writers revisit these plot points in future issues.
On a side note, I enjoyed seeing more of Majestic's scientific side in this issue. It's something that was definitely there in the previous issues, but I didn't think to comment on it before. Often with superheroes, it seems like they are allowed to be one or the other, either impossible strong or highly intelligent. I appreciate that they chose to let Maj be both. From what's been revealed of his backstory so far, it sounds as if he was a warrior on his old planet, not a scientist, so this knowledge appears to be born of genuine interest in science rather than necessity or profession. I just find that a fun facet of the character. If Superman is strength + heart, then Majestic is strength + intellect; which, I think would make them an interesting team-up.
My rating: 6/10
Issue #5: Jailbreak
Summary: A prison ship crash lands on Earth, releasing a band of dangerous criminals that Majestic must try to round back up.
My thoughts: I'm glad they didn't abandon the plot threads started in the previous issue. We pick up apparently a little while after the events in #4, and it's immediately clear that Maj and Desmond's partnership has taken a hit due to those events. As painful as it is to see them at odds, I appreciate that it wasn't all swept under the rug and forgotten. As for the story itself, it was surprisingly fun. I've genuinely enjoyed the more cerebral sci-fi elements of the previous issues, but I have to admit it felt good to see the superhero just punching bad guys for a change. Maj is obviously a very powerful hero but it's made all the more obvious with how easily he takes on this whole gang of super-powered baddies. Once again, though, Desmond is hurting and being completely ignored. Maj may be trying to process some difficult grief at the moment, but he's got to wake up and realize how badly he's been treating his partner, hopefully before it's too late.
My rating: 7/10
Issue #6: Why-2K
Summary: Desmond attempts to help the government prevent a Y2K disaster, but makes himself the target of a deadly assassin in the process. Meanwhile, Majestic is dealing with his grief off-world when he falls victim to a group of space sirens.
My thoughts: So many mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand, it definitely had more of a lighthearted, almost comedic feel to it. Which felt odd, considering it was dealing with Maj's continued grief over losing his last connection to his old life, as well as Desmond still feeling abandoned by someone he'd considered a friend. The space siren part of the story also rubbed me wrong. It's a common problem in 90's comics that the heroes are often subjected to varying degrees of harassment/assault while the narrative treats it in a shockingly casual way. This was something that was especially prevalent in DC comics of the mid to late 90's, so it wasn't a new feeling for me, but it doesn't get any less uncomfortable each time I encounter it.
On the Desmond side of the story, though, I appreciated getting more of a chance to know the character. His willingness to sacrifice himself shows a heroic side that was never truly put on display before. I'm also fully headcanoning Desmond as ADHD now, given how ridiculously easy he gets sidetracked. That doesn't explain his leaving the safe house and putting himself into a situation where he almost died -- so I guess another thing we learn in this issue is that he's both a genius and a complete idiot. Also, finally! We actually have some good moments between Desmond and Maj towards the end of the issue. I'm remaining cautiously optimistic that this means they'll be able to move past their problems with each other and mend their friendship. I guess I'll see when I tackle the final three issues next time.
My rating: 5/10
Diving back in again! This time, covering issues #4 - #6 of the 90's Mr Majestic series from Wildstorm.
Let's get started:
Issue #4: Being & Nothingness
Summary: Majestic and Desmond find a way to restore Maj's son, but possibly at the cost of the whole universe.
My thoughts: Okay, remember when I said I loved the sci-fi themes to this series and how they weren't afraid to go a bit dark? Yeah, this issue is a prime example of that. This issue introduces Majestic's son, who was apparently kept in stasis since his arrival on Earth. Now, as someone who went into this series with no prior knowledge of the characters, I had no clue Maj was a father. It's also unclear if this is a previously established fact of his backstory, or made up entirely for the purposes of this issue. Whichever the case, this was surprisingly good. I feel like it would have worked better if spread out over more issues, but the main idea still gets across even if condensing the story took out some of the emotional impact it could have had. The son's character design was adorable, but we don't get any real sense of who he is as a person until the final pages, so the writer relies mostly on our connection to Maj and how the events are affecting him specifically. Which, I have to say, worked pretty well. There's a panel near the end that I won't spoil, but it was a punch to the gut when I saw it the first time.
My one complaint is that there was a bit of character drama going on for Desmond, with his feeling left out or replaced, and it was never resolved. This comic also featured the first real argument between him and Maj, and I felt it should have at least been acknowledged at the end -- especially considering the heavy topic they were arguing about and what ended up happening as a result. I'll hold off on judging them too harshly for this, however, in the hopes that the writers revisit these plot points in future issues.
On a side note, I enjoyed seeing more of Majestic's scientific side in this issue. It's something that was definitely there in the previous issues, but I didn't think to comment on it before. Often with superheroes, it seems like they are allowed to be one or the other, either impossible strong or highly intelligent. I appreciate that they chose to let Maj be both. From what's been revealed of his backstory so far, it sounds as if he was a warrior on his old planet, not a scientist, so this knowledge appears to be born of genuine interest in science rather than necessity or profession. I just find that a fun facet of the character. If Superman is strength + heart, then Majestic is strength + intellect; which, I think would make them an interesting team-up.
My rating: 6/10
Issue #5: Jailbreak
Summary: A prison ship crash lands on Earth, releasing a band of dangerous criminals that Majestic must try to round back up.
My thoughts: I'm glad they didn't abandon the plot threads started in the previous issue. We pick up apparently a little while after the events in #4, and it's immediately clear that Maj and Desmond's partnership has taken a hit due to those events. As painful as it is to see them at odds, I appreciate that it wasn't all swept under the rug and forgotten. As for the story itself, it was surprisingly fun. I've genuinely enjoyed the more cerebral sci-fi elements of the previous issues, but I have to admit it felt good to see the superhero just punching bad guys for a change. Maj is obviously a very powerful hero but it's made all the more obvious with how easily he takes on this whole gang of super-powered baddies. Once again, though, Desmond is hurting and being completely ignored. Maj may be trying to process some difficult grief at the moment, but he's got to wake up and realize how badly he's been treating his partner, hopefully before it's too late.
My rating: 7/10
Issue #6: Why-2K
Summary: Desmond attempts to help the government prevent a Y2K disaster, but makes himself the target of a deadly assassin in the process. Meanwhile, Majestic is dealing with his grief off-world when he falls victim to a group of space sirens.
My thoughts: So many mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand, it definitely had more of a lighthearted, almost comedic feel to it. Which felt odd, considering it was dealing with Maj's continued grief over losing his last connection to his old life, as well as Desmond still feeling abandoned by someone he'd considered a friend. The space siren part of the story also rubbed me wrong. It's a common problem in 90's comics that the heroes are often subjected to varying degrees of harassment/assault while the narrative treats it in a shockingly casual way. This was something that was especially prevalent in DC comics of the mid to late 90's, so it wasn't a new feeling for me, but it doesn't get any less uncomfortable each time I encounter it.
On the Desmond side of the story, though, I appreciated getting more of a chance to know the character. His willingness to sacrifice himself shows a heroic side that was never truly put on display before. I'm also fully headcanoning Desmond as ADHD now, given how ridiculously easy he gets sidetracked. That doesn't explain his leaving the safe house and putting himself into a situation where he almost died -- so I guess another thing we learn in this issue is that he's both a genius and a complete idiot. Also, finally! We actually have some good moments between Desmond and Maj towards the end of the issue. I'm remaining cautiously optimistic that this means they'll be able to move past their problems with each other and mend their friendship. I guess I'll see when I tackle the final three issues next time.
My rating: 5/10
