DC Comics
Review: Cave Carson #5
By Philip Schweier
February 23, 2017 - 16:37

DC Comics
Writer(s): Gerard Way and Jon Rivera
Artist(s): Michael Avon Oeming
Colourist(s): Nick Filardi
Letterer(s): Clem Robins
Cover Artist(s): Michael Avon Oeming and Nick Filardi; variant by Mitch Gerads



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Things come to light in the underground world of Sha-Mudlroog. What happened to its people, and what does EBX have to do with it. But don’t expect a whole lot of resolution just yet.


One portion of the story involves the link between Cave Carson and the greater DC Universe, as well as the other so-called Forgotten Heroes from DC’s Silver Age. (It’s not the only such reference among the Rebirth titles, what with Space Cabbie being featured in the Hal Jordan).


But next issue… well, we’ll see.


This series is on somewhat of a low boil, perhaps in part to its back-up feature, Super-Powers (think of the toy line form the ‘80s). That would include the Wonder Twins from the old Super Friends show, as well as the Super-Mobile toy, c. 1981. It’s fun for those of us who were around for back then. For those who weren’t, it’s likely to be a bit of a loss, kind of putting a steak in front a vegetarian.


So how does one reconcile the Silver Age references (good) with the Bronze Age references (bad?). No, it’s not bad, simply out of place. What Gerard Way and Jon Rivera have done with Cave Carson is resurrect the property with a new spin. Re-imagining, rebirth, ret-con, call it what you will. But to reference another era of DC history is more of a nudge-nudge-wink-wink-see-what-I-did-there. I just prefer a much more organic approach. Super-Powers seems more forced.