As shill books go, Rogues Rebellion is pretty solid. It’s rare to enjoy rooting for the bad guys, but The Rogues have always made it easy. Don’t get me wrong – this is still a shill book. DC is looking to squeeze big bucks out of the Forever Evil event by hooking it into multiple series involving multiple issues. ARGUS is one; Arkham War is another, and now we have Rogues Rebellion. The good thing about The Rogues is that they’re always fun to read.
Central City is devastated, though not from the Crime Syndicate. Though the wasted city stands in the total darkness caused by the CS, the actual destruction is from Gorilla Grodd. The Rogues return after the Crime Syndicate meeting to see how Captain Cold’s sister is doing. Upon discovering the wreckage of their town, the criminal collaborative begins to see a darker side to the Crime Syndicate’s promises of wealth and power. Writer Brian Buccellato decides to show The Rogues in a positive light early on. Stumbling upon a bunch of tied up cops, Captain Cold orders them released. There’s some tension over that idea, but eventually, Cold wins out and the cops are set free.
From ther,e Buccellato moves The Rogues into the hospital where Lisa is still in a coma. Having only been able to leave her body via the astral-plane, Lisa used her power to free her lover Mirror Master from the mirror dimension. Now, able to move freely between our world and the mirror dimension, Mirror Master must cope with Lisa’s sacrifice. Arriving at the hospital, The Rogues find Lisa healthy, but have little time to celebrate before a gaggle of C-List villains steps up as representatives of the Crime Syndicate. The big bosses want The Rogues to join up, but The Rogues don’t join, they rob. Captain Cold and his band of merry men have a brief scuffle with the C-Listers, but eventually heavy hitters show up and issue #1 ends with things looking dire for The Rogues.
Buccellato does a nice job with the dialogue here, but the story itself is a little too structured to be completely exciting. The Rogues go here, then here, then here, it’s all a bit stilted. Buccellato saves the issue by focusing on the interplay between The Rogues. He also makes the idea of The Rogues going against the Crime Syndicate very personal, which helps make the series believable. Investing in criminals against other criminals is a tall order, but Buccellato seems to be involved enough to make it work.
The artwork is surprising in how weak it is, especially with both Patrick Zircher and Scott Hepburn working together. Two artists should render something near perfection with Rogues Rebellion. Instead, the work feels rushed and uninteresting. The panel placement is dull, the character largely repetitive. Even at the end, when a more pop-art style takes over, Rogues Rebellion suffers visually. The book isn’t awful, but it isn’t great. I expect more when such a classic team is on the line.
(3 Story, 2 Art)
