Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Alberto PonticelliWhen Checkmate fails to bring the rogue metahuman O.M.A.C. under control, they call in S.H.A.D.E.’s best agent, Frankenstein! It’s all-out monster mayhem as O.M.A.C. and Frank battle in the streets of Metropolis. But what is Brother Eye’s real goal? It’s up to Father Time and Ray Palmer to find out! Continued from this month’s O.M.A.C. #5!
Part 2 of the first true crossover of the DCnU, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #5 presents an alternate version of the O.M.A.C./Frankie fight from O.M.A.C. #5, which came out last week. Much like the opening scene/final scene of Pulp Fiction, two slightly different versions of the same battle are presented in these two books, with each book, naturally, painting the action in the brush strokes associated with the title hosting each part of the throwdown.
In one corner we have Dan DiDio and Keith Giffen’s technicolor Jack Kirby homage, and in the other Jeff Lemire and Alberto Ponticelli’s dark take on the horror and sci-fi genres. Which side comes out victorious in the battle of the $2.99 punchfests? Find out after the jump.
Before discussing the book as part of the crossover, I think it is important to discuss this issue as a stand-alone issue of Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. – this is especially important as this may go down in the record books as one of the least-essential crossovers in history (although, to be fair, it was a fun one).
We open with Frankenstein on assignment in Tibet, where he is summoned by Father Time to Mt. Rushmore, the Checkmate base of operations. Frankie is hoping to get out of this mission to get some much-deserved time off, but that request is denied. I have a feeling that this is going to be a theme popping up throughout the series, perhaps becoming his own Roger Murtaugh moment. However, he is assigned to fight O.M.A.C., and so does his duty. After a rough and tumble battle (which ends the same way O.M.A.C. #5 does so, no real spoiler alert, O.M.A.C. teleports out and takes Frankie’s arm with him), Frankie complains to Father Time about being used as part of S.H.A.D.E.’s desire to learn more about Brother Eye, and Nina and Frankie continue to bond.
Which is, to say, this was a typically fun and over the top issue of Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.. The monster waxes eloquent while flailing a sword around, we get some fun sci-fi gadgetry, and Ponticelli’s artwork is sufficiently raw and gruesome. A much more interesting discussion pops up when comparing this to O.M.A.C. #5 (with the exception of the story credit going to both DiDio and Lemire, the only personnel on both books is letterer Travis Lanham). I will take this in 3 parts:
1) The Story: O.M.A.C. obviously focuses more on Kevin Kho, but not as much as you may think. F:AOS obviously deals with Frankie’s side of things, but he appears on almost as many pages in both books (17 in his own book, 12 in O.M.A.C). The biggest difference here, in terms of plotting, is which international agency is getting more attention, although S.H.A.D.E. gets more page time in both than Checkmate does in either.
2) The Art: Here is the real difference maker – Keith Giffen’s pencils in O.M.A.C. manage to evoke Ponticelli’s work when dealing with the S.H.A.D.E. characters, but Ponticelli’s artwork caters to no one else’s style. O.M.A.C. looks less electric and more mutant-y, and his Metropolis barely resembles the City of Tomorrow. If you throw Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. cover artist JG Jones into the mix, O.M.A.C. looks even more scientific, and Frankenstein even buffer (look at those abs!). Each book’s art fits its style, and provide a nice contrast to each other when taken as a whole. However, I will say that readers unfamiliar with Ponticelli may be taken aback when they first see O.M.A.C. in these pages.
3) The Overall Package – As I said earlier, this is a mostly unnecessary crossover – fans of both books will have some fun looking at the contrasting pages, but overall, both books don’t need to be read to continue reading either series. That was the intent, and that was executed well. In terms of overall relevance to either series, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. has been all about Frankie being sent to do the dirty work of his parent organization, whereas O.M.A.C. has been more about Kevin Kho coming to grips with his powers/new identity. In terms of fitting the book’s grand scheme, this is a win for Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
Continued belowOverall, though, I would have to mark this 2-issue crossover a superfluous success. These books are sort of the bashers of the New 52, with lots of action and some science in the background, so the crossover makes sense. Hopefully, fans of one book will check out the other and like what they see although, to be fair, I can’t see either book converting a new fan because so much of the story is the same that it is hard to get a true read on what sort of book each is.
Wait, why do I keep raining on this parade? Monsters fighting = stupid, glorious fun!
Final Verdict: 7.5 – Buy
