Steelworks #5
Scheduled to arrive in stores: September 5, 2023
Cover date: December 2023
“Steelworks – Chapter 5: Power Trip”
Writer: Michael Dorn
Artist: Sami Basri and Vicente Cifuentes
Cover: Rafa Sandoval and Matt Herms
Variant Covers: Diego Latorre and Alexander Lozano
Reviewed by: Craig Boehmer
This is a backstory issue, so buckle up. Mr. Walker launches a giant Mecha suit with him in it to fight Steel. After the launch we get his back story. He contracted John to work for him, but John maintained ownership of his creations. When John walked, Mr. Walker bankrupted himself in legal fees to get revenger. Meanwhile Shawn Kerry also worked for Mr. Walker. He became a casualty of the layoffs, then his wife got sick. Die to the economic ruin of Mr. Walker, Shawn’s health insurance can’t cover the cost of his wife’s sickness. He tries to kill himself so the life insurance can take care of her, but is saved by Steel. This shows just how dumb Mr. Walker is as a business man, why would he hire John under those conditions…
The Superfamily stack the robot but, are defeated due to tech mumbo jumbo, leaving only Steel to save the city.
Story – 4: We get a pretty standard issue on past motives. Mr. Walker is a very generic evil business man villain, and his past experience is very generic too. The villain who is becoming more interesting is Shawn Kerry. I enjoyed his back story, seeing him prayed as just a regular who lost everything because of the corporate battle was intriguing.
The idea of the Mecha Suit was cool, but the whole scene of the Superfamily losing to it was lame. I understand the justification provided, but it would have just been better if the Superfamily hadn’t been there.
Art – 4: I don’t have any major issues with the art here. It is clean and very commercial. But it doesn’t have that pop that really rocks me in comic books. It’s serviceable for a comic, but doesn’t elevate the story.
Cover Art – 4: This is a cool cover showing Lana and Natalie running away from the giant Mech suit. The sight of the broken dock and water spraying up everywhere makes for a very intriguing peek as to what’s coming.
Variant Cover – 4: This cover is pretty good too. Showcasing his physicality while creating a “digital” image of him in the background is a fun way to show two of the major aspects of his character.
Variant Cover – 5: This cover is beautiful. The Atomic Skull’s skull is incredibly detailed and the armor is amazing.
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