Commanders In Crisis #2 // Review
The world is a big mess, and it's getting bigger. Many heroes drawn from many different earths look to solve a crisis that could tear down the multiverse. Before they can handle it, the Crisis Command must work to resurrect the very soul of empathy in a living, breathing human being as the US looks to divide itself into confederacy for the first time in hundreds of years. Author/creator Steve Orlando attempts to shove a tremendous amount of plot into a single issue brought to the page by artist co-creator Davide Tinto. Though there are interesting ideas in the second issue, there's way too much going on to spend a whole lot of time with any single idea. It's a muddled farrago that still has the potential to turn into something more.
President Rowe was pulled out of the sheer hell that was erupting in and around the White House. He was pulled into an entirely different earth not long after having to come to terms with his husband's death. Like a few others, he had been pulled into the final earth. Now he and the rest of the Crisis Command find themselves looking to resurrect the man anchored to the very concept of empathy itself. Elsewhere, other members of the Crisis Command deal with various issues that are all tied to the nature of empathy in different ways. Everyone has his or her own burden to carry.
Orlando has the entire team scattered. They've been scattered since the first issue to varying degrees. Lots of little stories cluster together in the second chapter of the series. This sort of issue works best in a team book once the team has had a chance to work together for a substantial amount of time. Commanders in Crisis hasn't really allowed the ensemble of characters together enough to allow for a central conflict. Everyone's dealing with something else. Without a central focus, there isn't a whole lot of momentum. This is a pity as there IS a genuine sense of drama and originality in various end’s of Orlando’s writing.
Tinto has enough vision to keep the issue feeling unified even if the script is little more than a series of really good ideas that never have a chance to develop on the page. There isn't as much action here as there is drama, which is fine. Tinto delivers the passion and aggression of interpersonal friction to the page in a way that makes it feel quite compelling. It's just too bad that Orlando isn't given him enough space to allow moods and moments to play out with a greater sense of depth. As it is, Orlando has so much story to tell that it's difficult to get much of a connection with any of the characters.
The central premise of the series continues to be interesting, but Orlando's attempt to start an entire superhero universe in the middle of a huge crisis-level crossover ends up falling flat in its second consecutive issue. There ARE many interesting aspects of the series. Heroes drawn from multiple earths coming together to try to save the last one...fantasy amid a political world that has interesting echoes into our own. It has the potential to be really compelling. Orlando's trying to do too much to live up to the potential of his presenting ideas.
