Comic Vine Review

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DC Universe Presents #6 - Renewal

3

Dan Didio and Jerry Ordway team up to revive and update Jack Kirby's classic Challengers of the Unknown

The New 52 version of the Challengers of the Unknown is here! The original Challengers was a group of people without super-powers that dealt with science-fiction elements. The updated book is about television producer Jane Robbins new reality show "Challengers" which features "D-list celebrities" battle the elements in the Himalayas. However, the team never makes it there after a weird and mysterious malfunction, which crashes their plane into the mountain. Hope you like secret cities and giant monsters!

The Good

I love a good adventure story. We have that here. I enjoyed the incorporation of mystic cities, giant monsters, and mystical amulets. The story, for a first issue, had a lot going on in it, but it all seemed to flow very well.

Updates are not always a bad thing, and DCU Presents gives a nice update to a Jack Kirby classic. Ace and Rocky are still a part of the team, and the origin of the plane crash still holds true, but this time, it's about a group of people on a reality television show banding together. It fits well and gives the book a nice update.

There's lots of great ideas to touch back upon during this story because there is so much going on. I have a feeling this will flesh out into a really fun story.

The Bad

This book, thus far, is a tad more about the mystical than science-fiction. It's a small departure from the original series, but it still has the same adventure element to it.

I've never been the biggest fan of Jerry Ordway's art. It's always felt a bit clunky and outdated to me. One of the characters gets his face melted off, think Two-Face, and through the parts of the issue he's in, it just looks awkward. It looks a lot like a mid-90s indy book, style-wise. Personally, I'd love to see Ryan Sook, who drew the cover, draw the whole book. His style would fit the story and Didio's writing much better and it would give this book more of a pulp feel.

The Verdict

I enjoyed the issue and the new story, but it isn't without it's faults. Didio brings a big update to a classic and awesome series but he stays true to many of the book's roots. The book includes some of the classic characters and it looks like it's going to pan out to be a great story. On the downside, this book feels a bit more mystical than science fiction and I'm not a fan of Jerry Ordway's art style. It doesn't fit the book. Overall, I'd give this issue a slight recommendation.