The Ray #3

The Ray gains his first super villain and gets beaten to a pulp in the third issue of his mini-series... welcome to the world of heroes, Lucien! Palmiotti and Gray had made it easy for this new Ray to learn how to use his powers and very quickly become a hero; but now he is being placed in a situation that soon spirals out of control and he realizes things are not as simple or fun as he first thought; great way to develop the character. The choice of villain for this mini may not have been the best. The Director is similar to the X-Men's nemesis Mojo, not only in his obsession with making movies, but also in the comical relief that surrounds him. I am not sure whether the Director was talking crazy when he was explaining his origin or not, but in any case, it connects the Ray's world to the rest of the DCU, which is a good thing. With one issue to go, I hope the character gets introduced to the bigger universe before the finale.

The Ray #2

After reading this issue written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, I started thinking about those Firestorm fans who might be disappointed with -or expected something different from- the Nuclear Man title.  To those fans I say "The Ray is the book you were looking for!"  Its youthful and fresh approach, with touches of humor and campy situations, is complemented by the writing style that breaks the fourth wall as the character talks to the readers, making of this a fun and enjoyable book.  The visuals by Igle, Perrotta, and Major, are full of energy and dynamism, with panels rich in color and detail.  If there is something to object about this issue, is the excess of character development; added to the already mentioned fact that The Ray walks readers through his inner thoughts, there was too much Lucien and Chanti, so next issue may want to bring it down a tad.

The Ray #1

Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray present the newest incarnation of a legacy character in the DCnU.  Thing with #1 issues of a new character is that most of the content is dedicated to backstory and introductions; here, the reader does not have to be concerned with that, as the story skips the boring part and jumps right into the meaty stuff; this keeps the attention focused on the hero while the inner monologue provides characterization.  Without the shadow of a doubt, I am positive we will hear great things of artist Jamal Igle; his pencils are just great: well defined, detailed, and dynamic; DC needs to sign him up quickly before someone else gets him.  This new Ray is likeable and relatable, and if the title is intended for younger readers, it will not be hard for it to find its niche.  I hope he starts interacting with the rest of the DCnU soon because he is a keeper.