Nappaland's BookBlog Review

BLACK ADAM: THE DARK AGE, Conclusion

by Peter Tomasi and Doug Mahnke

(DC Comics)

Reader Appeal: Teens to adults

Genre: Superhero comic

Look! In the sky! It’s a hero…it’s a villain…no, it’s Black Adam! Yes, the morally ambiguous once-villain is at it again, making trouble for everyone both good and bad and letting his powerful emotions run out of control. In this issue he finally manages to get back most of what he had lost in his previous series, but unfortunately for him he proves to be too hotheaded to appreciate it.

In this sixth and final issue of the Dark Age series, Black Adam, who was stripped of his powers for inflicting massive civilian casualties on China in a wild bout of indiscriminate vengeance over the death of his family, finally achieves his goal of recovering every piece of his wife’s bones (so he can bring her back to life). Since he doesn’t have any powers of his own to draw on, he’s been making his way mostly as a mere human. Every now and then, though, he draws on the power latent in his wife’s bones to rejuvenate his own abilities, despite the risk that this might make it impossible to resurrect her.

Without giving away too much, let me just say that Adam manages to achieve his goal (and even regains his powers) but is so hasty and hotheaded that he turns his own moment of triumph into a defeat. Which is the downside of being an unstable anti-hero, I suppose.

For a conclusion, this issue is fairly low on physical action but contains more than its share of emotional action. It manages to wrap up a lot of preceding material and opens the door clearly to the next series. The way in which it wraps things up is a little disappointing, but most comic writers will agree that there’s little percentage in having everything turn out fine and dandy (they have to motivate you to buy the next issue, after all). You might be annoyed or you might be intrigued, depending on your preferences.

The art in this comic is definitely a high point. The panels have a lot of energy and character and the characters are very well drawn. The fight on the frozen lake in the first few pages is a particularly striking, if occasionally gruesome, scene.

In general I liked this comic, though it’s a little tiring to me following such an unstable and problematic character as Black Adam. He’s a unique and independent fellow with a lot of problems, which makes him interesting but also frustrating. I don’t like plots that turn on the stupidity of their main characters as a principal plot device. On the other hand, when you’re as powerful as Black Adam, maybe the only sufficient adversary is yourself.

This story works well as a classic morality tale, a tragedy about how even the powerful can be brought low by simple human faults. There’s a certain Shakespearian quality to Black Adam that makes him interesting. Adam constantly pays the price for his loose temper and defiant, headstrong ways as he alienates those people who could be his friends and makes himself vulnerable to his enemies. He’s his own worst enemy, and one gets the impression that there’s no real need at this point for some hero like Superman to take him down—he’ll accomplish his own defeat. It’s a great object lesson. In the end evil defeats and devours itself.

All in all, I enjoyed this comic and found it to be a reasonably satisfying conclusion to the series. It’s a little dark, admittedly, but Black Adam is a dark character. He’s not a nice guy, not a hero, and not a good role model. But his story is interesting and (fairly) unique. For what it is, this is a good issue, but I can’t recommend it wholeheartedly.

BOOKBLOG RATING: B

AFTER THE STORY (optional)

If your family members are interested in this book, then encourage discussion about it afterward. You can use these questions to get started:

• Is Black Adam a hero, a villain, or just misunderstood? Defend your answer.

• What kind of lesson does this comic reveal about the dangers of men having godlike powers without God-like goodness?

--MV

Note: All book or comics-related graphics in this column are standard publicity/promotional shots and are owned by their respective publisher.