Broken Frontier

John Henry Irons feels the pull of regret, Montoya and The Question have big trouble in little Kahndaq, and Will Magnus plays with metal again....

52 moves into week 14, focusing primarily on the investigations of The Question and Montoya; their story inches forward while most of the rest of the issue feels like quick character vignettes. The regrettable curse of unevenness seems to continue to plague this series with some issues, and even some character stories within those issues, catching fire while others run in place.

Doctor Kala Avasti visits John Henry Irons, who has locked himself away in the Steelworks for the past month. Avasti attempts to break through the metaphorical shell John has built around his steel body. She promises to find a cure for his condition but it is not the loss of his organic form that bothers him – it is what else he has lost.

Meanwhile, Montoya and The Question try to ferret out exactly what Intergang is doing in Kahndaq. All the while, The Question continues to try to lead Montoya on a journey of self-discovery. That journey may come to an abrupt halt, though, when the two find the remains of Intergang’s headquarters, along with some other, less pleasant remains. And then the Kahnaqi police arrive...and we all know how Black Adam feels about criminals.

Finally, the U.S. Government wants Will Magnus’s Metal Men, even though Magnus has not been able to restore them. In point of fact, the government would really rather the robots not think for themselves. Magnus refuses and gets some not-very-veiled threats, which then sends him on his way to visit his buddy T.O. Morrow. Only thing is Morrow has gone missing, leaving only a cryptic note for Magnus. Could this be Magnus’s missing link?

At 14 weeks in, one would expect the writing team to have gelled by now and the unevenness of the stories would have smoothed out. The fact that it has not is possibly a sign that it never will on this series. Of the three characters featured here, it is The Question and Montoya who gain the lion’s share of attention. Although there are some quick flashes of sharp dialogue, the story seems to largely plod along. There was little here of surprise and little to no new insight into either character. Steel’s plight was affecting enough to raise some mild emotion but emotion is not necessarily progress. The most significance and perhaps the greatest interest came in Magnus’s story. The disappearance of T.O. Morrow advances the plot of the missing scientists and the government interest in the Metal Men does not bode well for Magnus. It is certainly time that the Metal Men subplot got moving.

Dale Eaglesham handles the pencils here and, for the most part, does his usual outstanding job. Eaglesham has a real knack with body language and it shows here. He also approaches this issue with a cinematic eye, often moving from panel to panel like an experienced cameraman. There are, however, a few sequences that seem a bit rushed. The figures look a little off and inconsistent from one moment to the next.

Although not a stellar issue, it is not the worst the series has produced. The unique nature of the 52 experience means that fans must either accept the good with the bad or drop the series entirely. With this train, either one is onboard for the ride or not.

Last, but not least, is the "Origin of Metamorpho" back up written by Mark Waid and drawn by Eric Powell. Although the origin remains little changed from the character’s creation, it is an effective introduction for newer fans that may not know the history. Eric Powell, most known for his work on the Dark Horse series The Goon, does an effective job handling Metamorpho and really makes me wish DC could coerce him into handling a Metamorpho mini-series.