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Mild Mannered Reviews - DC Universe

Time Masters: Vanishing Point #1

Scheduled to arrive in stores: July 21, 2010

Cover date: September 2010

"Passageway"

Writer: Dan Jurgens
Art: Dan Jurgens
Finished Art: Norm Rapmund
Main Cover: Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund
Variant Cover: Chris Sprouse and Karl Story

Reviewed by: James Lantz

Click to enlarge

A boy and a man walk through a prehistoric jungle. The lad wants to see and photograph a dinosaur in a year where humans should not exist. Skeets, the adult male's flying orb-like computer, serves as a decoy to round the creature up. The child takes the picture, and he and his father disappear before they become the reptile's next meal.

We now see the boy as an adult. He is Rip Hunter, Time Master. He has been forced to knock out some natives who have seen his futuristic clothing. Hunter is trying to meet up with the team of heroes he has chosen - Booster Gold, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan and Superman. The group is in the fifteenth century, and their objective is to find Bruce Wayne.

Booster Gold's ancestor Supernova has arrived at the end of time. He is shocked to discover that Vanishing Point has been destroyed. There is no sign of Booster Gold, Rip Hunter or a time sphere. Supernova must investigate the situation further in Rip's laboratory in Arizona. He may not like what he finds there.

After the team of travelers is through debating on whether or not to save a ship full of people from dying, Hunter explains the details of their mission. The world thought Bruce Wayne had been killed by Darkseid. However, the sign of Metron, bat symbols, a utility belt near an old man named Anthro, and an ancestor named Mordecai Wayne, who is a dead ringer for Bruce, are among the clues that told Rip that Batman is jumping through time. Superman, Green Lantern and Booster Gold must help Hunter follow the Dark Knight's trail. To do this, the heroes must go to Rip's lab in Arizona. Unfortunately, something is interfering with signals to Rip's time platform there. Rip, Hal, Superman and Booster will have to find another way to continue the search for Batman.

Degaton and Despero are in Hunter's Arizona lab to destroy his time platform. Without it, Rip cannot return from his voyages. Before the villains can accomplish their task, Goldstar, Booster Gold's sister, attempts to stop them with her magnetic powers. Degaton hurls a grenade at her. It looks like the heroine is finished until the weapon disappears. Supernova used the Phantom Zone projector in his costume to send the bomb where it can do no harm. He and Goldstar are surprised to learn that Degaton and Despero are as equally shocked about Vanishing Point's demise. Despero realizes that he and Degaton must retreat to be better organized. This leaves Goldstar and Supernova to wonder who or what exactly caused the destruction of Vanishing Point. Only their investigation can unearth the answers to their questions.

Rip Hunter has set up a beacon on a mountain top in order to contact his time platform. Unfortunately, his plan only gives him some chronal feedback that causes him and the rest of his group of Time Masters to be lost in temporal chaos. Hunter himself wonders where, or rather when, he is. Before he can have any answers, a sword wielding warrior on horseback is about to confront him.

Story - 3: It's not Jurgens' run on Superman or Thor, but it is good. However, I feel like the first issue has placed us as readers into the middle chapter of the story. I realize that this a companion mini-series to The Return of Bruce Wayne, which I have not read yet, but Jurgens should have taken steps to introduce more than what he had done in the book. For example, why and how did Rip Hunter choose the heroes on his team to aid him? I hope this point is discussed in future issues. In my eyes, Jurgens should have focused on trying to clear up that plot point and give a bit more background information. As it is now, Time Masters: Vanishing Point #1 feels like it should be part two or three of the arc.

Art - 3: It's not as good as other comics I've seen lately, but it gets the job done in telling the story. Unfortunately, there isn't anything about it that stands out in my mind.

Cover Art - 4: It's a great image in spite of Batman being Spectre-like. It's classic Jurgens. I felt that the title logo stuck out like a sore thumb. Otherwise, we have a beautiful cover.

Cover Art (Variant Edition) - 2: It really isn't that great as far as variants go. In fact, I almost gave it a one. I would have preferred another Jurgens cover.

Mild Mannered Reviews

2010

Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

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Mild Mannered Reviews - DC Universe

Time Masters: Vanishing Point #1

Mild Mannered Reviews

2010

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