Psi-Lords #7: Calm Like A Bomb

Fred Van Lente kills it with yet another interesting chapter in the Psi-Lords saga. The dialogue between Aric of Dacia and General Capshaw in the open pages alone makes this issue worth a read. It’s simple, to the point but speaks to why General Capshaw is so great despite being a bit underutilized. Dutiful all the way to the end but still goes out of her way to show her loyalty to her true friends, in this case X-O Manowar.

The confirmation of impending doom from both a normal human (Capshaw) and a superpowered juggernaut (Aric) frames just how important it is for the so called “Astrofriends” have to succeed. One of the best elements of this story is the drama without being pompous and the depth of lore and world building that comes along with it. The intricacies of the cosmic politics between the Starwatchers, the Psi-Lords and our stalwart heroes is in itself quality entertainment.

While the reader is drawn to root for Beacon and the crew, there’s not actually any objectively evil elements to this story aside from Scion but he’s a huge knob so we can exclude him here. The Starwatchers despite some extremely underhanded methods to keep Nihilo in check aren’t actually evil by any means more just “making the best of a supremely bad situation”. The other forces like the Widowers despite being cruel are also pawns of a bigger game, so would they be jerks if they weren’t wrapped up in this bizarre cosmic drama?

What are the true motivations of the Psi-Lords? We’ve seen some insights, we’ve seen some speculation but really we have no idea what would happen if they got free. Not to mention we’ve gotten no clear idea what will happen when the Astrofriends return to Earth. Will the visions of their tyranny come to pass? Will they wind up being the Earth’s greatest intergalactic defense force? Van Lente ain’t saying just yet but the skill with which he’s building up the Psi-Lords landscape makes the journey just as entertaining as the awaited conclusion.

Oh and don’t think I’m gonna conclude this review without throwing in some Stanning for Renato Guedes. I’ve said it every single issue so far and as long as Guedes is one this book I’ll keep saying it: Renato Guedes is guilty of multiple counts of first degree murder of this art. It’s just so friggin’ good panel after panel. Whether it’s space ships, bloodthirsty super women or a giant nuke, all of the art is just hitting on all cylinders.