Convergence finally got interesting with the last issue. Hey, better late than never! Hopefully, DC’s big event will continue to be red-hot up until the conclusion. I know I am going to be heart-broken as we say goodbye to the real DCU at the end of this event and transition back to the New 52. But, I am going to enjoy seeing these characters while I can. Let’s hit this review.
Words: Jeff King & Scott Lobdell
Pencils: Aaron Lopresti
Inks: Mark Morales
Colors: Peter Steigerwald
Story Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: We begin in the New 52 universe with the Oracle probing the fiery world that is being shoved into the New 52’s universe. The Oracle says he can see all past, present and future. The Oracle asks why he is so blind now. The Oracle says that he cannot see the future in this world. That he cannot see his future nor the future of the heroes in the New 52. Our Justice Leaguers quickly seek shelter inside of their satellite station. Superman asks how they can save everyone. The Oracle replies “You cannot.”
We zip to battle planet where our assembled heroes from the multiverse are battling Deimos and his assembled villains from the multiverse. Suddenly, a massively powered up Telos and Grayson appear on the scene. Deimos immediately attacks Telos. Deimos gets the upper hand and lays a beat-down on Telos. Deimos says that Telos was once mortal and that Telos will die.
We cut to the New 52 where our assembled Justice Leaguers can hear Deimos’ voice saying “Die!” Our heroes then can glimpse the various versions of themselves that exist across the multiverse. Suddenly, the sound and vision from the multiverse is gone.
We slide back to Deimos beating up Telos. Parallax (Hal Jordan) grabs Deimos’s arm. Deimos yells “Who dares?!” Parallax replies “I do.” Hal says that he is tired of being stuck on this world. Deimos then blasts Hal.
Yolanda says that Deimos does not care about anyone here. That Deimos wants them all to die. That is where Deimos is drawing his power. Suddenly, the villains from across the multiverse stop and realize that Deimos is using them as tools and that he means to kill them as well.
The villains decide to now join forces with the assembled heroes from the multiverse. An energy sphere surrounds Deimos as he beats down Telos. Hawkwoman, Huntress and Cheetah all charge at the energy sphere to break it and get to Deimos. The energy field incinerates the three women. The rest of the heroes and villains stand around the energy sphere and are stunned and wonder what to do next. Yolanda exclaims that she can smell fear. Yolanda yells out to Diemos that he is afraid of Telos and that she can smell it.
Telos replies that Deimos should be afraid of him. Telos then makes a comeback and captures Deimos inside the rock from the planet’s surface. Telos says that he will not kill him but he will restrain Deimos. That Deimos will tell Telos his true name. That the heroes and villains will be returned to their proper Earths. Telos says that he is connected to this world and that this world’s power is his and not Deimos’ power.
Deimos then breaks free and says that nothing can defeat him. Deimos powers up again and then, suddenly, Parallax blasts Deimos. Hal says that Deimos is the worst villain. Obsessed with power for power’s sake. Hal says that Deimos’ power can not only save lives but it can also revive them. That Deimos’ power can save Hal’s universe, Hal’s world and Hal’s Coast City. Parallax then says “You bore me.” Hal blasts Deimos and there is a massive explosion. The smoke clears and all that is left is a huge crater in the ground where Deimos was standing.
Telos says that Deimos is gone. That Hal destroyed Deimos. Parallax tells Telos to revive their universes and send them home or he will destroy Telos like he destroyed Deimos. Telos responds that Deimos had absorbed the powers of the Time Travelers. That Deimos had absolute control of the past, present and future. Suddenly, the heroes and villains see red lighting fill the sky.
We shift back to the New 52 universe where our Justice Leaguers see the same red lightning erupt from the burning planet in front of them. Oracle says that he can finally rest. Oracle says that the future of the New 52 heroes is unknown. Oracle says that all of reality is breaking apart. End of issue.
The Good: Convergence #7 kept the ball rolling and delivered another exciting read. This was a well paced and plotted issue. King and Lobdell keep their feet on the gas pedal as this big event crashes toward the finale like a runaway roller coaster. Convergence #7 had an excellent flow to the story. It never felt rushed or hurried. However, it certainly moved forward at a quick pace and with a clear direction in mind.
And action? Yeah, Convergence #7 serves up a heaping serving of action like Abuelita serves up black beans and rice on Sunday night dinners. You are going to be more than satisfied. What was enjoyable was that all the fight scenes were well constructed with a good ebb and flow. The fights scenes all had great psychology as Deimos went from on top to captured to on top again to destroyed. Also, the shift of the villains from against the heroes to standing with the heroes occurred naturally and made sense within the context of the fight.
The high point of this issue was the shocking defeat of Deimos at the hands of Parallax. Yeah, I’ll admit it. When Hal destroys Deimos I was up in my seat yelling “Oooohhh!!!” just like I had watched Randy Orton RKO someone out of nowhere. I did not see it coming at all. Good job by King and Lobdell for that surprise moment.
And speaking of our grey-at-the-temples Hal Jordan, wow! Hal absolutely stole the show in this issue. It was fantastic seeing Parallax doing only what he can and absolutely decimating Deimos. King and Lobdell did an excellent job writing Hal’s character. I loved Hal’s haughty personality and how all the other characters around him seemed so beneath him. Parallax’s arrogant attitude oozed off of the pages.
Convergence #7 also had plenty of drama. The tension was palpable during the big fight in this issue. The store felt epic and every scene felt important. This is exactly how a big event should feel. I also like how large the scale of this event continues to feel. The massive number of assembled heroes and villains has helped to crank up the scope of this event. I also love that the heroes of the multiverse are getting the spotlight as we reach the climax of this big event. The heroes of the New 52 are off on the sidelines. This is part of what makes Convergence #7 such an enjoyable read.
Lopresti and Morales team up to deliver some quality artwork. The artists do a fine job juggling such a large roster of characters. I know that so many characters shoved into one issue can be an artist’s nightmare. Not so for Lopresti who delivers plenty of fantastic double page splash shots. Lopresti also cranks out wonderful fight scenes with plenty of movement. The fight scenes are well choreographed and certainly help to pull the reader into the story.
The Bad: The dialogue is average. Outside of Parallax, none of the other characters have anything that would be confused with a unique personality. There is no much depth to the story. It is what it is: A huge brawl. And I am fine with that. However, readers who prefer more mentally engaging reads with well constructed dialogue and fleshed out characters are sure to be disappointed with Convergence #7.
Overall: Convergence #7 delivered excitement and set the stage for a fantastic ending for this big event. It is too bad that we know this big event is going to end with a giant re-set button. And it is too bad this event was not that engaging for the first five issues. But, at least we are getting a wild action packed ending. Those of us who stuck with this event after the first five issue are getting paid for our loyalty.
