| SYNOPSIS: The Drummer and Jakita are having coffee at an outdoor cafe, talking about Elijah Snow. Jakita knows that Snow isn't telling anyone they've captured Leather, while The Drummer knows that Leather has been moved to a secret location. Jakita thinks Snow has changed, but The Drummer defends him, saying Snow's motives are less sinister than they appear. The Drummer's support isn't surprising, as we then flash to him as a teenager, one of a dozen young captives of Randall Dowling, using his talents to help steal information. Snow, Jakita, and Ambrose Chase infiltrate the operation, but before Jakita can kick the leader's spine out he presses a button which starts killing the kids, one by one. Only The Drummer is saved. Snow saves Chase's life, the Drummer destroys the entire operation, and the four of them barely make it out alive...with Chase saving Snow's life this time. Later, one of the Planetary doctors explains The Drummer's powers to Snow: he sucks up and processes any kind of information. Sometime after that, Snow meets with John Stone, who he's had trying to locate the kid's family...all of whom are dead, under rather suspicious circumstances. Leaving Snow with little choice but to offer The Drummer a spot on the team. Back in the present, The Drummer tells Jakita that saving things is what Snow does. And he thinks that now, Snow is not only trying to get The Four. He's trying to save Ambrose Chase.
REVIEW: Yeah, okay, so it took me five months or so to write about this issue, but it's not as if I didn't like it. The Drummer's origin and utilization by Dowling makes sense, the breakout scene is cool, and the cameo by Stone is fun and creepy. The last line of the issue is a wonderful shock; we had every reason to think Chase might return in some fashion, but the news that Snow hoped to find him was new. And fun.
Now we know where all these people came from. It's taken, obviously, an insane amount of time to get to this point, but now we're closer to where they're all going to end up.
And I'm sure I'm not the only one who was relieved to find out that the remainder of this series wasn't going to be Evil Snow vs. his teammates or anything.
| |  Random Thoughts:I've been reading Astonishing X-Men, drawn by Cassaday, and I have to say his work on the past few issues of that title aren't nearly as good as his art in Planetary. Which is too bad for X-Men, but heartening that he's still doing his best work for Planetary.
If I missed somehow what the cover is an homage too, so be it. Anybody wants to email me and let me know, that'd be cool.
Ambrose Chase is freaking cool. You go, Elijah, bring that guy back.
Heads exploding, spines getting kicked out of people - just another typical issue of Planetary.
Can't fail to mention the cool rescue by Planetary airship scene.
Rating: 8/10. Just a good, entertaining issue. |
