Wednesday, January 10, 2018

MICHAEL CRAY #4 by Bryan Hill and Warren Ellis - Book Review


From the publisher: With a plan in place, Michael Cray and his team have made an attempt to befriend the psychotic Barry Allen in order to bring him down and bring his murders to an end. But with a paranoid conspiracy theorist like Barry Allen, does Cray have the upper hand, or is he walking into a trap?

Michael Cray #4 continues the craziness that Bryan Hill keeps writing. Cray is tasked with taking out Barry Allen (aka The Flash) before he kills more scientists creating AI (artificial intelligence). Along the way, Cray is forced to continue dealing with the alien-ish creature that is in him/a part of him.

I really don't know how to evaluate this series, other than as a big, loud, sci-fi, action story. Hill keeps peeling back layers of Michael Cray, who's alien condition seems to be the biggest mystery. There is also Cray, with his interesting set of morals and integrity, working as an assassin for IO, a fairly domineering and corrupt worldwide security force. Throw in a bad guy of the month (so far a warped version of traditional DC heroes), and this book is very episodic with an underlying mystery. This is not meant as a critique, just an observation; I can totally imagine Michael Cray as series on cable or a streaming video service.

Cray is an interesting and engaging protagonist. While he works with a team, maybe in name only, his interactions with them aren't really that exciting. It's his approach to tracking the "bad" guys and his self-reflection that are worth the read.

I'm not sure what Hill's endgame for Michael Cray is; that is, I'm not exactly sure what the story is building towards. That said, Michael Cray #4 was a fun read, with lots of action. I recommend this series to fans of The Wild Storm and Warren Ellis's vision for these characters.

I received a preview copy of this book from DC Comics in exchange for an honest review.

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