Who is the mysterious Xiomara? She’s an attorney with a unique set of skills…and if you’re Raquel “Rocket” Ervin, she’s who you want in your corner when the United States government comes knocking on your door, asking questions about your friendship with the all-powerful alien known as Icon! A secret identity doesn’t get you far when every intelligence operation in the world is hunting you…
What I Thought
Story– I liked how this issue used Icon and Rocket as symbols of fighting against societal degradation. The community has rallied behind them and are now fighting back against the criminals. I especially enjoyed how the consequences of Rocket’s involvement has endangered her working class mother.
Icon comes across far more intimidating in this series than he ever did in the original. His Superman parallels especially in a post Zack Snider’s Man of Steel world are scary as hell. His nonchalance at the idea that the Government could stop him gave me evil Superman vibes.
Consequences are a big part of this issue and as a result it has more weight. There is a sense of urgency as the story progresses especially with the introduction of the other escaped alien from the first issue. Interesting times ahead. Hudlin manages to blend his new, more involved Icon into American history is a seamless way. Milestone’s rebooted universe has a fresh take on world history where this more active and scary Icon exists.
Art– Doug Braithwaite is still on art duties and I have no complaints at all. Andrew Currie and Taurin Clarke are also helping out with art but I don’t know to what extent. Everything looked good especially the moments involving Icon as a slave.
Covers- The standard Cover is my favorite as it shows both of our heroes back to back and facing the dangers ahead. For the collectors out there we also have an alternate cover in superman’s colors of blue and red. Stylized yes but not my cup of tea.
Costume – Now that I have witnessed just how different this Icon is from the original I understand why initially his costume was just black and red. Red is the color of heightened emotion, strength, and power. It speeds up our heart rate, blood flow, and body temperature. Red is violence, anger, and aggression, and it frequently indicates danger. Red captures attention, elicits emotion, and conveys confidence. Black meanwhile is a color used to convey certainty and authority. This symbolism works better for the version of Icon presented here. I never commented on the altered look we got but, it’s like he has on two big black booties. I did complain quite a bit about why the Pan African colors were an essential part of the Original Icon. This, darker version though, perhaps the black and red costume was more appropriate and fitting.
Buy it! Tell your friends about it! Buy your friends a copy! Tell your comic shop to pre-order it! Whatever you do, support this book! A spine tingling good time! This, is what good comics are made of! 5/5 stars
