Midnighter and Apollo #1 of 6

DC Comics
Midnighter and Apollo #1 of 6
By Hervé St-Louis
October 5, 2016 - 17:44

DC Comics
Writer(s): Steve Orlando
Penciller(s): Fernando Blanco
Inker(s): Fernando Blanco
Colourist(s): Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Letterer(s): Josh Reed
Cover Artist(s): Fernando Blanco, Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
$3.99

After stopping a gang of child kidnappers, golden boy super hero Apollo tells his ex-boyfriend-would be boyfriend, Midnighter that he should probably attempt to stop his opponents without killing them every time. Trying to rekindle a broken relationship, Midnighter feigns interest just long enough to continue pursuing his quest for the man who gave him his powers. He seeks revenge on Henry Bendix. However, Bendix has already struck Midnighter’s own weakness, Apollo.

I have limited experience reading about Midnighter and Apollo. At most, I read a few issues of the Stormwatch revival during the new 52. I wasn’t interested then. However, plenty has been written about both characters to the extent that although I have not read them widely, they are in the public knowledge. I know of them pretty well. I’m interested in investigating some of themes raised in the first issue of their mini-series.

Midnighter seems to be an easier character to write than Apollo. While with Midnighter, there are many shades of Batman that are taboo that he can be explored, there is little breathing room for Apollo. Apollo seems to be this huge guy hovering over reality and Earth who does not get his hands too dirty while his partner in crime, Midgnither is allowed to be gritty and even gain a personality distinct from Batman.

I will admit that Midnighter felt more like Mike Milar’s Nemesis or even the Justice League villain Prometheus. I had problems seeing what was so unique about him. Yet most of the story focuses on him. It appears at first that he is the one who will have a hero’s journey in this mini-series. I’m hopeful that the forced exile of Apollo will force Steve Orlando to provide a parallel hero’s journey to a golden boy whose utility I ignore.

What is the point of Apollo in comics except for mimicking the Superman/Batman dynamic with gay characters? What else can he do or contribute that is not redundant? If Apollo is a Superman-class character, where does he fit next to the likes of Shazam, Wonder Woman, or Captain Atom? As I read the comic, I could not understand why he exits as a character. Were he a Marvel Comics character, he could be excused in a world where yet another class 100 guy walking around is rather normal. But at DC Comics, guys like Superman, Shazam, The Martian Manhunter, and Orion are supposed to be special.

The closest role that I could find for him, based in his visual depiction by Fernando Blanco was that of Lightray or even the Ray. He is a shiny guy who looks majestic and seem a bit disconnected from the world. Apollo is begging for a personality and I’m hoping that Orlando will provide him with one.

They broke up, now they are back. I like that aspect of their relationship. It felt genuine. Although the dynamic between Apollo and Midnighter felt shallow. Who are they as a couple? Just showing a sex scene off screen does not answer the question. At this point, they are nominally tagged as gays. There is no depth to their sexuality as seen in this issue. What is a golden boy doing with someone as scruffy and nasty as Midnighter?

DC Comics has always portrayed Apollo and Midnighter as two very masculine men without any hint of weakness or feminity in them. It seems that the tougher they are the more respectable they will appear to readers who could not bear to read about flamboyant gays. Mind you, I have read very little so maybe I have missed such depictions in past comics. This is why I was very happy to see Extraño in this issue. When Steve Englehart created him, he was to be the poster child for gays in comics. Extraño was flamboyant. Totally flamboyant.

Looking at him in the one brief panel, himself looking all buffed, explained a lot about the depiction of gays in popular American super hero comics. When Extraño debuted way back in 1988, gay characters were flamboyant and effeminate. That depiction was a cliché that many might have despised. Now, in 2016, many gay characters in similar comics are very masculine without a hint of feminity. It appears that there is no middle ground possible.

Orlando’s story was at times abrupt. It is the way many comics are written today. They lack exposition and transitions between scenes. It is a storytelling form that detracts from the omnipresent narrator that was popular in the 2000s and that continues to thrive in many comics. Orlando favours the active voice.

Blanco’s art work is more suitable for Midnighter than Apollo. His Apollo, while looking perfect and clean, is still rendered with irregular and rough lines that do not elevate his majesty and perfection. Hence, he looks flawed and not as mighty as he is said to be. Without the colouring masking his body in a golden aura, it would be difficult to imagine him as a perfect man. Yet, Blanco might be the right artist, if we are to see Apollo perform a hero’s journey in this mini-series.

Rating: 8.5/10