Challengers of the Unknown #5 – Christopher Cantwell, Writer; Sean Izaakse, Amancay Nahuelpan, Artists; Romulo Fajardo Jr, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The Watchtower has become the hub of the DCU again, and the Challengers are at the center of it all. With each issue, one of the Challengers teams with a Justice League member to investigate an anomaly – only to go deeper than they ever thought possible and encounter something horrible before being quarantined. The Challengers are now all generating Omega energy of their own, potentially straight from Darkseid – with one exception. Rocky Davis, the “big guy” of the team, was never a science genius like the rest of them, and now he’s the only one not touched by this dark energy. But he’s increasingly horrified by the League talking about his friends like they’re threats, and when it’s proposed to sedate the Challengers and put them into comas, he fights back – shutting down power to the Watchtower, an action which brings him into direct conflict with Wonder Woman.
As the most “Normal” member of the team, it’s an interesting choice to pair Rocky with the most out-there member of the team in terms of her experiences. But they don’t have too much time to interact as Ultivac returns from oblivion, and the truth behind the Challengers’ connection to the cosmic energy is finally revealed. This was a wildly ambitious series for only five issues, maybe too ambitious in some places as it had to focus every issue on a specific character balanced with an overarching plot. But I think it came together really well, with a great final issue with a strong focus on the theme of death as the true great unknown. As Rocky connects with Ultivac in an unexpected way, this issue leaves the future of the Challengers somewhat open, and kicks off a new adventure for some of the characters that I’m not sure where it’ll be picked up. Strong DC series debut for Cantwell.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
