Cyborg #1
DC Comics
Written by: John Semper Jr.
Art by: Paul Pelletier, Scott Hanna, and Tony Kordos
Being part of the first computer generation in the 1980s, Victor Stone, Cyborg has always been kind of special to me. I’ve often wondered if Wolfmen & Perez knew ahead of its time that character was for the coming age of the internet. Now that we live in the digital era and being included in the new Justice League movie, Cyborg’s time has finally come to truly be a big gun. The expanding slate of comics from DC Comics has given us the premier issue in Cyborg #1 and I for one couldn’t wait to dig in.
I have always contended that Cyborg is THE superhero hacker. Upon cracking open the first issues, this is s is almost immediately confirmed. The use of facial recognition, public record searches and cross references in just a few nanoseconds proves some minor hacker chops almost immediately during the opening sequence. And being a fan of Mr. Robot well he clearly understands the hacker subculture. After all this time, I enjoy that so many street villains just don’t surrender – not that Vic eliminates the chance to do so.
One ongoing issue I have had with recent iterations of Victor’s visual presentation is the slicker more human appearance. I have always 
felt an element of Vic Stone’s character was the impact of his abilities on his appearance. Being a cyborg should invoke emotions in those that you interact with. This emotional toll has always been a big part of who the character is. This element of the character seems to have returned. Although visually it appears a step backwards in time, i feel like it will allow storytellers to focus on the impact of his ‘real life’ and what life is like for a cyborg in a human world. This is highlighted during his evening out with Sarah, his father’s lab assistant.
Victor’s journey through the city with Sarah is as internal as it is external, exploring exactly how human Victor is. Facing personal demons is always the biggest challenge for any person, and our heroes have never been any different. Victor is coming to grips with his true origin, his true ‘self’ and the ongoing issues with his father are clearly taxing. I did enjoy seeing a street level interaction for our high-tech hero. Enjoying the people, food, and music of the city as a regular person brought Vic back to a very human self, a very human self which Victor seemed to enjoy seeing again. Well, that is until KILG%RE attacks to close out the book seeking to “eradicate” that humanity we just saw on display.
Overall the issue was enjoyable and a nice addition to the DC Rebirth slate of books and a strong kickoff to the series. I am hopeful the series continues to hit the same high notes that this issue managed to ring in future issues of both the Rebirth mini-series and the upcoming regular title.