The team (with reporter Gail in tow) arrives in Las Vegas to investigate the disappearance of the city’s inhabitants. They spend time talking and chumming about until they come across the cause of the disappearance—an interstellar card player called B’Gart. The alien won the people in a high stakes bet with the mayor of Las Vegas. He now keeps the people as a prize and refuses to part with them. Youngblood dispatches B’Gart’s hired muscle and then stops the baddie and frees all the trapped people with a simple kick. A teaser in the end shows Voodoo’s body. The catch is that this is a future version of Voodoo sent as a message. And then there’s the one panel teaser that has some interesting promise for the 75th anniversary issue.
The story in this issue is as deep as a kiddie pool. The villain is thwarted too simply and too stupidly. One doesn’t get a feel for the true power of this team when the adversaries are so easy to overcome.
I don’t mind the artwork much, and found it rather workable for the nature of the comic. But the team seems too numerous and the characters are so hard to get a feel for because they are generic and unremarkable. The book would serve from a smaller roster and a few arks where readers get to see Youngblood tested.
Score: 2/5
Writer: John McLaughin Artist: Jon Malin Publisher: Image Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 9/26/12