Steel doesn’t get enough appearances in comics, and I was excited to see a Convergence issue about him. I picked this issue up out of curiosity, not knowing much about Steel and only having read about him as a supporting character here and there. Nonetheless, I was optimistic about an issue dedicated to a character now relegated to the fringe.
In the absence of Superman, Steel steps up to the plate, and has immersed himself in the active duties of a crime fighting superhero. After clashing with a group of Ex-Lexcorp renegades, Steel is forced to fight against a repowered Parasite. Their fight is interrupted by the Gen13 kids, who seem as sceptical about fighting to the death as Steel is. It’s Parasite that makes everything worse for everyone, and the issues becomes a battle royale.
THE POSITIVES
It’s awesome to see Steel in the spotlight, and playing to his strengths. I can’t think of another issue I’ve read recently where Steel is fighting the good fight on his terms and it’s exciting to see the character in his element. I also appreciated the interactions Steel had with his family, as short lived as they might have been.
THE NEGATIVES
As much as I enjoyed the focus on Steel, there just wasn’t much to it. There was no new insight into Steel or his family, or any of the characters really, and the lack of plot and character development left the issue feeling empty. While the art wasn’t really bad, there wasn’t much to it either, and I think the combination left the issue feeling worse than it was.
THE VERDICT
If you want an issue full of extended actions scenes, but without much plot, then this is the issue for you. It’s awesome seeing Steel in the spotlight, and I’d love to see more of Steel in comic books, but this issue didn’t seem like the best way to go about him.
