Advance Review: Leave The High School Drama Behind In ‘Rogue Sun’ #9

Story arcs can be difficult to pull off well. To be successful, an arc needs the right mix of exposition and set up along with payoff and action. Relying too heavily on one or the other can leave readers either bored or confused – and sometimes both.

While Rogue Sun has been on a good run recently, this second installment in the newest arc spends too much time setting up what’s coming. For example, much of the issue is tied up with high school drama – who is taking who to the homecoming dance. It’s an odd choice for now, but there’s a good chance that the dance could be featured prominently in future issues. (Shades of Spider-Man: Homecoming anyone?) At least that’s the hope.

Writer Ryan Parrott does provide some action and a little payoff later in the issue. We see new villain Hellbent – whose origin we learned in the previous issue – in his first fight with the hero. And as firth fights often go, the baddie beats up Rogue Sun to the point where the good guy has to give in. That sets up further drama as the hero will have to go on a quest to get the big bad what he wants.

It’s a tied approach though. “I would kill you, but I need you to do something first.” Does anyone really think like that in real life?

Then again, most comic books are escape mechanisms that don’t bear much resemblance to the real world. That’s where artists like Marco Renna make their living. Renna, subbing for regular artist Able, does fine. Though he only has one battle to depict. It’s hard to make high school life look all that exciting.

Rogue Sun has been a good series to date, and the creative team will doubtless work through the sophomoric drama – pun intended – and get to the good stuff quickly enough.

Rogue Sun #9 will be available for purchase on Wednesday.