Convergence #7. Jeff King & Scott Lobdell- Writers, Aaron Lopresti- Pencils, Mark Morales- Inks, Peter Steigerwald- Colors.
We are racing to the conclusion of Convergence with this issue. It feels as if there is so much that left to happen in the final issue that I’m suggesting this is not really an end, but a new beginning. It doesn’t make any sense to close off the Multiverse or DC’s past, yet it does make sense to open up the doors that were seemingly closed nearly 3 and 1/2 years ago.
The heroes of the New 52 are still confronting the planet that is encroaching on their universe, but with a twist- they are now aware of a being that appears to be Telos under a new guise of “Oracle.” He can’t see the futures of these beings and he’s disturbed. Through this interaction the New 52 heroes become aware of the multiversal matchups and Superman asks, as Superman always will, “How can we save everyone?”
The action switches back to the planet Telos and we see the character Telos return to the fray along with Earth 2 Dick Grayson. At this point Telos and Deimos face one another and the result opens a glimpse to the New 52 Superman, Supergirl and Martian Manhunter of their multiversal counterparts. Even the villains begin to realize that Deimos is up to no good and they switch their allegiances. Just as Deimos is about to assert himself, Parallax (Hal Jordan) at the height of his hubris steps in and annihilates Deimos. He plays the “Revive Coast City” card as an explanation for his actions, but it doesn’t do much to alleviate the concern that he has unleashed a temporal energy that could destroy all of existence. (oops).
The Positives
The New 52 Superman played more like Superman than he has in the past 3 years. The sense of hope pervades despite the narrative. Deimos gets his just desserts.
The Negatives
Very little happened in this issue. The story moves only slightly, leaving a lot to be desired for the final instalment. As the penultimate chapter it fell a little flat, the weakest of the series so far. It feels like a placeholder because the it’s supposed to be a 9 issue series, compared to Crisis on Infinite Earths #11, which was probably the best single issue of that series.
The Verdict
If you haven’t been following along the past 7 weeks there’s not much reason to jump on board now, but I wouldn’t jump ship either. There’s enough teased for the finale to keep one around for one more week. The fate of DC’s history hangs in the balance- is this a farewell or welcome back?
