Reviewer: Mathan Erhardt
Story Title: Man Made God
Written by: Grant Morrison
Penciled by: Chris Weston
Inked by: Gray Erskine
Colored by: HIFI
Lettered by: Clem Robins
Editor: Karen Berger
Publisher: DC / Vertigo
Great, I get the duty of reviewing the most difficult book put out by a mainstream publisher. Fortunately this issue is pretty straightforward. This issue tells the tale of Maxwell Shatt, a man who has decided to become the world’s first real super hero. His name is Max Thunderstone – Man-made God. Unfortunately he has also decided to make The Hand his enemy and expose it for all society to see. This leads to his downfall. But what is his connection to Greg/Ned?
Morrison might actually be the genius everyone thinks he is. This issue was almost crystal clear. Sure he tossed in his trademark off the wall concepts, but Max is a fully developed character. I completely understood where he was coming from. Plus having the issue focus on Max as opposed to The Hand was a nice break in the series. Not to mention that Max was the most likeable of the people brought down by Hand agents, he seemed real.
The art is perfect. In the context of the series, everything looks like it belongs. Talking dolphins with piercings don’t look out of place at all, and they look realistic. Westin and Erskine make a dynamic team. This issue is almost non-stop action, and the entire team did a great job. Most importantly, Max looks like what a person who wants to be a super hero would look like. His outlandish costume adds credibility to his character. The cover by Segura Inc makes me wish that I had a product for them to market. Every month I look forward to the cover of this title.
My biggest qualm is with the “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire†reference. It just seems so dated. The show (in that incarnation) isn’t even on the air anymore. What was once pop culture satire is now a distraction that takes you out of the moment for a minute.
