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Time Masters: Vanishing Point #4

Time Masters: Vanishing Point #4

Scheduled to arrive in stores: October 27, 2010

Cover date: December 2010

"Passageway" - Part Four

Writer: Dan Jurgens
Art: Dan Jurgens
Finished Art: Norm Rapmund
Cover: Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund

Reviewed by: James Lantz

Click to enlarge


Somewhere, possibly at the beginning of Earth's history, young Rip Hunter plays football with his father Booster Gold when they are attacked by a being of great power that confuses the boy with his words.

"We've been lookin' for you, Carter, for years."

Booster Gold and Rip make their escape, only to later learn that this peaceful area had been destroyed three minutes later by the villain. Elsewhere or when, as the wizard Serhattu and the blonde sorceress Skyle celebrate their victory over the Time Masters, Superman and the adult Rip attempt to escape their prison while pondering Darkseid's reasons for sending Bruce Wayne through history with his Omega Beams. Neither X-ray vision nor super strength can pierce the walls that entrap them. Worse yet, the cage is turning to Kryptonite. Rip and Superman may need a miracle to set them free.

Skeets, Starfire and Claw the Conqueror are in a cage similar to the one holding Rip and Superman. Skeets is firing a laser at its walls to help his new allies. Unfortunately, they now only find themselves in the jaws of a giant serpent with deadly fangs. It looks like Claw and the others may not make it out of this adventure alive.

Hal Jordan and Booster Gold are in the same trouble as their fellow heroes. Booster punches the cell with no results. Green Lantern remarks that Booster is useless unless he gets publicity for his exploits. However, his power ring seems equally ineffective on the prison. Suddenly, the walls begin to close in on them. The Time Masters are going to need all the power at their disposal and more if they are to stop the evil Serhattu and find Bruce Wayne.

At the end of time, the Black Beetle has convinced Matthew Ryder and Liri Lee to help him bring the deceased Waverider back to life. Supernova fails to stop them from making their getaway. However, the ancestor of Booster Gold believes that this adventure is just beginning. Rip has lost control of the situation, and things are about to get more complicated.

As the Kryptonite radiation has overcome Superman, Rip uses his communicator to contact the other Time Masters. Once everyone remembers being grabbed by tentacles before waking up in their cells, Hunter theorizes that Serhattu's beast is using its telepathic abilities to make the heroes believe they are trapped. Skyle is worried that the group will escape. Serhattu, on the other hand, has no such preoccupations, for he is very close to conquering time forever.

Booster has fired his wrist beams at full force, allowing the Time Masters to escape Serhattu's tentacled beast. However, the evil wizard's magic has imitated the powers of Rip Hunter's devices. A time vortex has opened up, one Rip has no control over. The Time Masters are caught in a wave of chronal energy, and even Superman cannot save them from the freefall through the ages.

2Story - 2: This is slightly better than the previous issue. It is still way too convoluted for me to honestly give a rat's behind about the characters and events. It saddens me greatly that a writer like Dan Jurgens is doing a mini-series that has, so far, gone downhill faster than an Olympic skier.

Characterization really seems to be lacking in this issue, and the entire series for that matter. I had high hopes for it once I read the first two chapters because I thought we were only at the start of the adventure. Sadly, everyone involved in what's going on comes across as a cookie cutter stereotype of a hero or villain. Superman particularly suffers in this book, which is shocking considering Jurgens has done some great work with him. We already have a Man of Steel that's out of character in the JMS story. It's painful to see what is being done to him in Time Masters.

Beyond seeing Matthew Ryder and Liri Lee, this book really doesn't have that much going for it. The rest of the so-called action moves at a snail's pace. The ball was really dropped on this one, and I'm losing the hope I had coming into the series. Oh well, better luck next month.

4Art - 4: Once again, it merely tells the story. Nothing really stands out. I wish there was more to the art, but I did like it better than the story.

4Cover Art - 4: This is one of the better covers in the series, even if it is a bit of a spoiler. Still, unlike the previous ones used, it made me curious about the book's contents.

Mild Mannered Reviews

2010

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

January 2010

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