PREVIEW: Cyborg: Rebirth #1

[CBR News]

Victor Stone was once a star athlete and brilliant student with a bright future. But after a tragic accident destroyed over half of his body, Victor was kept alive by merging flesh with advanced technology. Today he is the Justice League co-founder called Cyborg. But is the young hero a man...or a machine that merely believes it's a man?


Full preview here.

[GreenLanternRanger]

So they are playing up the am I man or machine angle again? Ugg, Cyborg is so much more then that gimmick, do something more with him DC!

But yea, i'll give the first couple off issues a shot, but not sure about the book overall atm.

[Frontier]

Art-wise, it looks great .

[kalorama]

Not impressed with the writing. The exposition too thick and clunky and the "voice" is inconsistent, going from coldly, inhumanly detached to emotional, almost sentimental. Although, if my suspicion about who the narrator is is correct, that might explain the swing, but it would also open up a whole new set of issues about the direction the story's going. I'm also not fond of the (yet another) Cyborg's redesign, either. Looks more like a guy in a battlesuit than a man/machine hybrid.

Paul Pelletier, however, does his customary bang-up job making it all look good nonetheless. Kudos to the inker(s), letterer, and colorist as well. The whole art team really meshes well.

[vasir12]

Liking it so far. I wonder who this person is.

[blaster86]

Art look Fantastic just like the other rebirth one shot were going to get a lot back story.

[jgprime]

Wasn't it established in the previous Cyborg ongoing and in JL that Vic's systems and tech have continued to adapt to the point that they have started to replicate his body previous to his accident? Is DC undoing that? I thought it was one of the most interesting developments DC has made with the character.

[vasir12]

Wasn't it established in the previous Cyborg ongoing and in JL that Vic's systems and tech have continued to adapt to the point that they have started to replicate his body previous to his accident? Is DC undoing that? I thought it was one of the most interesting developments DC has made with the character.

We don't know that yet.

[dkrook]

This is the equivalent of bringing up the Batman on being a broken man out for revenge for his parents or a vigilante Seeking Justice against all villains. Been there done that what is next?

[The Whovian]

I wish they would give Cyborg a great writer. And have him fight something other than other machines. It's getting old.

[grinningdemon]

I'm sorry but I still just can't get behind Cyborg as a founding member of the JL...joining, sure...but founding? No character should ever be retconned as a founding member of a team that predates them by decades.

[pogofan]

Not impressed with the writing. The exposition too thick and clunky and the "voice" is inconsistent, going from coldly, inhumanly detached to emotional, almost sentimental. Although, if my suspicion about who the narrator is is correct, that might explain the swing, but it would also open up a whole new set of issues about the direction the story's going. I'm also not fond of the (yet another) Cyborg's redesign, either. Looks more like a guy in a battlesuit than a man/machine hybrid.

Paul Pelletier, however, does his customary bang-up job making it all look good nonetheless. Kudos to the inker(s), letterer, and colorist as well. The whole art team really meshes well.

Agreed on all counts, except I think you understated the problem with the writing: that script is TERRIBLE. Giving times down to thousandths of a second? That goes beyond "thick and clunky" to just plain stupid. And if the observer hasn't confirmed Cyborg's identity until page 5, then how does he/it know "Subject Zero's" exact age (down to a thousandth of a second!)? I'm afraid Pelletier is going to be wasted on this book---though on the basis of this preview, I wouldn't be surprised if he's available for another assignment soon.

[Robotman]

Wasn't it established in the previous Cyborg ongoing and in JL that Vic's systems and tech have continued to adapt to the point that they have started to replicate his body previous to his accident? Is DC undoing that? I thought it was one of the most interesting developments DC has made with the character.

Yep, but when asked why they went back to this clunky look the editor said he wanted a design that had the 'C' symbol on the chest. Seriously, they couldn't have just added it to the awesome Ivan Reis design?!? I'm sure DC wanted him to look more like the movie version too. Which sucks because not only is this story a rehash of things that have been covered ad nauseam ("am I a man or a machine") but they've given him this outdated look.

Im a big fan of Cyborg but it's hard to get excited about the direction they're taking the character. It's like one step forward and two steps back.

[kalorama]

Agreed on all counts, except I think you understated the problem with the writing: that script is TERRIBLE. Giving times down to thousandths of a second? That goes beyond "thick and clunky" to just plain stupid. And if the observer hasn't confirmed Cyborg's identity until page 5, then how does he/it know "Subject Zero's" exact age (down to a thousandth of a second!)? I'm afraid Pelletier is going to be wasted on this book---though on the basis of this preview, I wouldn't be surprised if he's available for another assignment soon.

My suspicion is that the "observer" is, in fact, Cyborg himself--specifically his onboard computer operationg system/AI--and that the whole thing is a thinly-veiled, heavy-handed exercise in identity self-exploration. It's basically a part of Vic's own consciousness asking "Who am I?"

[Rakzo]

Yeah, this is not exactly inspiring. The premise is way overdone at this point and the presentation in terms of writing is not great (mind you, is still better than Walker's narration).

I wish DC would have gone with a more interesting creator and concept.