Bonds Beyond Life Or Death: Reviewing ‘Cyborg’ #6

Grab the tissues and prepare. The synthetic uprising threatening Detroit is about to get even more personal and devastating. It’s no lie to say this might be the biggest modern turning point for the title character ever.

Cue up the credit sequence, as Cyborg #6 brings the emotional tale from Morgan Hampton, Travis Mercer, Bruno Abdias, Michael Atiyeh, and Rob Leigh to a powerful end.

Had to take some moments after finishing this issue to really compose my thoughts, analyze the emotions, and marinate in how amazing this book has been.

Cyborg has been a favorite character for many years, but it often felt like his personal story elements were kind of stuck. It’s not a slight against anyone, as that often happens with characters that don’t happen to be the top-tier within a given franchise world. Despite having more exposure beyond comic pages than even some of the top-tier DC characters, within the comics Cyborg was still second, sometimes third tier in publishing eyes.

Hampton threw that all aside though. Took two of the often touched-on aspects of Victor Stone, his estranged relationship with his father and his cybernetic life, and turned them on their heads. No matter the villains or guest stars or action beats, from start to finish this was a father and son story. A story about life & death and whether there are things people can reconcile before their time is over.

Death is a touchy subject in comic books because characters flip it off and race back into the land of the living like it’s a professional sport.

Yet, there are still ways to make it work, especially when it’s focused on supporting or ‘normal’ characters who have less chance of joining the resurrection carousel. Not only that but it has to have an impact and personal stakes, for the characters and therefore the audience as well.

Adult figures who did what they thought best or being so detached it hurts a relationship is a relatable concept for many. Losing that figure and having to question the entire relationship is right up there on that list of familiarity for many as well. Wrapping emotional relatable journeys up in colorful heroic stories is a tale as old as time, but damn effective when done right.

The idea of living forever digitally has temptations for many, but just like any sort of life, it has its drawbacks. We see the pros, cons, and human faults of tech and our relationships with it on display throughout this whole series run.

I could read another ten or more issues with Hampton’s take on this character and his unique view of the world. There are a ton of comic books out there and it’s hard to keep up with them all, but Hampton is now on my “I will check that out instantly” list of writers.

After hopping on board last issue, Mercer carries over handling most of the artwork. His style is one that really works for this book but also superhero stuff in general. It has a very light, slicker, and smooth, type of appearance. Just the right amount of exaggeration reminds us these aren’t real characters, grounded by settings and spaces that have depth and tangible reality to them. Every emotion is not only clear on the page but feels like it’s coming off in waves we can feel.

Love the choices for paneling that come into play here, especially on the action pages. It allows us to live in the moments even more, right there alongside Cyborg and feels epic. Characters have presence and motion, energy crackling all around. Some of those action pages where all background fades, just homing in on the characters, debris, and action are the type that stick with you afterward.

Bringing in a second artist, Abdias, is common practice for a lot of books these days. One of the best ways to do it is how this issue goes, giving the two artists different moments and spaces to bring to life. While Mercer handles the majority of the issue out in the real world, our few moments within the digital spaces of Cyborg and Solace’s minds come from Abdias’ hand.

There are similarities between the two art styles which gives them a smoother transition. Abdias’ style pulls back on the exaggeration/whimsy we see from Mercer, going more for the grounded more real type of feel. It works quite well as it really lets us sit with the characters, eschewing all the fantastical trappings of the story (even as they are in a digital space) to focus on the human elements at play. That’s not to say there aren’t big bold dynamic moments, as all the pages in Solace’s mind show off.

Again, the action is framed so perfectly with us right there in the mind space with the characters. Both sets of pages hit home what Cyborg is capable of doing beyond being a Boom Tube taxi or guy with an arm blaster. Makes one wish the character had a full-time series presence and was more focused on how awesome he can be.

Atiyeh’s colors once again provide a perfect balance point for the differing artwork. Employing similar levels of color and palette styles across both. There isn’t a sharp change this time since both art styles share similar DNA, it makes the changes between the colors minimal to the naked eye. Plenty of big bright powerful colors to do with the powers, fights, and super elements (both in the real and digital world) while the backdrops are more muted/natural.

Reconciliation and coming to terms with one’s place in the world mean a lot of words will be said, and Leigh once again makes sure it all fits and flows so well. Little changes here or there to bubbles or fonts to let characters’ voices be different, make them feel more or less robotic, with some colors here or there. All the dialogue is spread out, never overwhelming, filling the spaces on pages and framing things to keep our eyes where they need to travel. Each emotional beat lands because of what we see on the page, including being able to ‘hear’ it in every word.

Cyborg #6 is now available from DC Comics.