The Church Sponsored DC One Million Galaxy Tour
The Good: Not only does the cover have that great use of 90's limited 3D to represent the beyond comprehension future, but the overall layout and perspective are pretty nice.
If there's one thing I can always count on Azrael for, it's having some of the absolute best costumes. His angel wings are gorgeous and ephemeral, his armor is so sleek and angelic, and his sword is stunning. They're taken his costume through years of evolution, and Azrael has nearly become a genuine angel. He certainly looks like one, and still looks like he could murder an army of dragons.
The artwork is nice and sleek, never trying too hard, and getting the job done just right at every turn. There's even a few really nice panel layouts.
There's a lot of intriguing religious things going on, with some well thought out psychological stuff in addition. This is pretty much one of the big things I love Azrael for.
Azrael basically takes you on a world tour, highlighting different corners of the DC One Million universe. It sets the stage for Azrael's journey of self discovery in a great way, and actually kind of shows you why he's in the role he is.
This issue is absolutely hilarious. It actually really caught me off guard with the comedy, not that Azrael isn't ever funny, but I've always known the series for darkness, moral ambiguity, and deep religious psychology. But this issue was just so entertaining to read. Azrael disobeys orders, and wreaks so much havok through his impulsive nature. As Azrael has risen though decades closer to an actual angel, he seems to have gotten a bit detached, and forgotten what 'real life' is like. He lives in almost a dream of his own morality, attempting to do good on such a quick impulse he doesn't have time to think, which is actually probably something the church pounded into his brain, and it causes all sorts of troubles for the universe.
The Bad: As amusing and entertaining as this was, I can't help but feel a little let down by the lack of seriousness in this issue. There is still some great moral ambiguity and deeper meanings, but the issue just isn't very dark.
In Conclusion: 5/5
This isn't the Azrael I was expecting, but it was really interesting. Azrael looks AWESOME, and he journey's through some interesting corners of the DC One Million universe in a quest of discovery that leads him only to himself. It shows you just how shallow the Church's tool has become over the years, and that's actually kind of dark and frightening on a really deep level.