Vibe #3
Writer: Sterling Gates
Artist: Pete Woods, Fabian Parsons
DC Comics, $2.99, color, 20 pages
DC's strategy for making former punchline Vibe a success has become clear: They're going to make him central to the DC Universe.
The third issue of Vibe's new eponymous title makes this abundantly clear. For example, the primary supporting characters in this issue (as in the last two) are Amanda Waller and Agent Gunn of A.R.G.U.S. (Ramon's brother and father also make appearances, but those are brief and they seem to be there primarily for color -- not plot.) While Steve Trevor doesn't appear in this issue, he is referenced, has been important in the last two issues and appears with Vibe in the latest Justice League of America -- clearly, he is an important character in this series.
Want more? Vibe (along with Justice League of America) is revealing the story of Waller's A.R.G.U.S., which is a major player in the DCU. The story of The New 52 Gypsy is being told in the pages of Vibe, where we have gradually been learning her powers and background (she's not from Earth) -- and a development in this issue promises a more active role for Gypsy in coming issues. The next-issue blurb promises Batman, the ultimate guest star. And in this issue, Vibe spends a great deal of time battling the new Kid Flash, where important information about that character is revealed, instead of in that character's home title, Teen Titans. Plus, Waller makes it clear (to us) that Vibe is being pitted against Kid Flash as a warm-up for tackling Barry "Flash" Allen down the line.
Speaking of Kid Flash, Vibe's battle with the junior super-speedster reveals an astonishing power upgrade. If you remember the original character, his power was, essentially, to vibrate like a life-size marital aid. (I'm not counting as a power his ability to annoy readers with break-dancing and a painful accent, but you may feel free to do so.) The new Vibe is far more powerful. He is, for example, a human geiger counter for dimensional breaches, and able to track other-dimensional beings and -- as of this issue -- time travelers like Kid Flash. Further, amazingly, he is able to sever Kid Flash's connection to the Speed Force for a few seconds. That displays an incredible amount of power, and an ability that could easily prove fatal to any super-speedster in the DCU without hardly trying. This will inevitably bring him into contact with Flash, and one imagines that Jay Garrick wouldn't have a chance against him (being both a speedster and other-dimensional).
One other thing bears mention here that has nothing to do with my thesis. And that is: This Vibe is far more likeable than his predecessor. As mentioned, the original Paco Raman was annoying beyond reader tolerance. But Cisco Ramon is both good-hearted and earnest. In each of his battles so far, Cisco has been sympathetic to his opponents, trying to understand them and not at all convinced they pose a threat -- despite A.R.G.U.S. constantly cajoling him to fight first, ask questions later. His conversation with Kid Flash in this issue alone brings the reader in on his side, as he is wholly sympathetic to and curious about Kid Flash, whom we know to be a good guy -- despite A.R.G.U.S. trying to paint the speedster as a threat.
In fact, Vibe's relationship with A.R.G.U.S. is not only central to the series, but also central to our sympathy for Vibe. He is a good kid trying to do good in the world, despite being manipulated by A.R.G.U.S. into being their weapon. That sympathy would morph into contempt if Ramon continued to be fooled by A.R.G.U.S. for very long, but already he is beginning to ask the right questions. Ultimately, I expect him to turn against his handlers, and I find myself eager to see it.
So kudos to Gates, who is developing Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns' first-issue premise for Vibe into a very readable series. I don't know if that's enough to make DC readers want to stick with Cisco Ramon for the long haul, but they won't be able to ignore him.
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