Robots in space, hidden robots, and the history of the guys that made the robots

Millennium #6, Secret Origins #23, Young All-Stars #9, Blue Beetle #21, Superman #14

Millennium #6 by Steve Englehart and Joe Staton

After an overly existential issue last week, Millennium moves back to its older format of hitting on all the important points from last week’s crossovers and setting up the current week’s crossovers. It certainly feels like it’s moving too fast in dealing with the Manhunter threat with two full issues still ahead.

Art by Joe Staton and Bruce Patterson. Owned by DC Comics and used for review purposes.

We open in space with the heroes we saw destroy the Manhunters’ world in Justice League International end up in battle with the Highmaster in outer space. Now larger and yellower, the Highmaster makes short work of four Lanterns, Firestorm, and Captain Atom. In a matter of panels, only two heroes are left to stand against the robot: Superman and Martian Manhunter. Even they have little chance against the Highmaster’s power and Doctor Fate plans a hasty retreat.

Unfortunately, the young Doctor Fate is too far from Nabu and casts the wrong spell. He sends the combined heroes into a hell dimension. Weakened, he only has enough power to send two heroes out to save the day: Superman and Hal Jordan.

The Chosen go through a dreaming process that allows them to connect with one another and the very history of the universe. They describe it as touching the structure of the universe. This only serves to infuriate Janwillem Kroef when he wakes up. He doesn’t think the connection is correct because it involves the “lesser” races. He orders the Guardians to stop and threatens to leave, to which the Guardians encourage him to do so. This was apparently known to the Guardians as they whisper to one another that they know he will play the traitor.

Batman is super-angry because the Outsiders have broken up and he recruits Guy Gardner to go after Booster Gold. Booster takes down Gardner and escapes, angering Batman more.

On his way out, Kroef runs headlong into John Stewart who he calls kaffir, a word with similar overtones in Africa as the N-word in the United States. This leads to John decking him with a green fist.

The Floronic Man uses this as a distraction to leave again and meet with his Manhunter contact. But his connection to the structure has allowed him a greater view of the universe and he wants nothing to do with their plans. The Manhunter tries to zap him, but the Floronic Man captures him instead. Woodrue knows his place as part of the new Chosen.

Batman interrogates the Manhunter, going as far as threatening murder. He’s interrupted by Blue Beetle. Beetle reveals that the incident at the end of Justice League International caused Kilowog, Mister Miracle and him to investigate the ship. They learn that it was designed not for space, but rather for a base in the center of the Earth. This gives Beetle a new mission: find the location of the Manhunters’ final base.

So ends the issue with hints of major plot points in Blue Beetle and Superman.

Janwillem Kroef finally gets punched by Stewart here, but it’s truly a sign of different times that so many people put up with his blatant racism over the last four weeks of stories. Kroef is over-the-top in how awful he is, and that it’s just allowed makes a lot of heroes seem callous to the few minorities among them.

Overall, the issue was built far better than the gibberish of the previous installment. Staton’s art continues to show refinery over his work in Green Lantern Corps, even if his cartooning nature does come to play in the designs of characters like Kroef and the Highmaster. Ian Gibson seems to work incredibly well as his inker which makes it a shame that they wouldn’t stick together for New Guardians after this book finishes.