Writer: Ryan Parrott & Nick Cotton
Art: Abel
Colors: Natália Marques
Letters: Becca Carey
Covers: Luana Vecchio; Franceso Mann & Igor Monti
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: 3.99
Release Date: November 30th, 2022
Mr. Suave returns and personal trainer dominates as Dylan’s education, both as an ordinary teenager and a hero, continues.
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Rogue Sun #8 Review.
The Dispatch
Issue after issue ROGUE SUN proves itself to be a fascinating coming of age metaphor. The series began with a teenager getting out from under two parents who were essentially arguing over his affection. In ROGUE SUN #7, with Dylan’s parents dealt with, the story transitioned into a teenager trying to figure life out (as seen with the Choose Your Own Adventure style that forced Dylan to face consequences and think before making choices). ROGUE SUN #8 continues this trend as Dylan faces an old foe.
ROGUE SUN #8 brings back the villain Suave–though in this instance he is doing something more sinister than thievery. Before Dylan can get to that though, his stepmom sets him up with a personal trainer and tutor and sends him back to school. Dylan isn’t thrilled with any of this, but he isn’t in a position to push back. When the confrontation with Suave ultimately happens midway through the issue, Dylan is on a very different footing from their fight in the first issue.
As part of an ongoing metaphor for a coming of age story, ROGUE SUN #8 operates on two levels. The most obvious one is Dylan’s continued development. Parrott brings back Suave, the first enemy Dylan fought after becoming Rogue Sun, which lets him demonstrate a marked contrast between Dylan at the beginning of the series and Dylan now. The entire series to this point has demonstrated Dylan’s incremental growth–the kind of growth that teenagers start to make as they transition toward young adulthood.
The time-loop in ROGUE SUN #7 was a big part of this as Dylan had to confront his impulsive choices over and over again until thinking his way out of the problem. And now in ROGUE SUN #8 Parrott has Dylan showing off how far he’s come as a hero (both in combat and banter) when he faces Suave for the second time.
But growth doesn’t always mean abandoning who you are, and that’s the second level ROGUE SUN #8 operates on. Dylan has been pushing his development as Rogue Sun hard over the course of the series. But he’s still a teenager, and he still has to do teenager things. This is a great way to reinforce the coming of age aspect of the series by reminding the reader that no one grows up all at once.
The Art
Abel returns for ROGUE SUN #8 after taking an issue off and he injects more ordinary fun into the issue than the series has seen so far. Dylan going back to school is a good time. Which isn’t to say that Dylan’s various heroic escapades aren’t fun. But there’s something real about seeing Dylan in class among friends and other students–seeing how he reacts to them. And it provides a good contrast to Dylan’s visible emotions with his stepmom and half siblings.
ROGUE SUN has seen multiple colorists since O’Halloran’s final work on ROGUE SUN #4. Marques returns (having last done ROGUE SUN #6). She doesn’t have quite as many flashy fight sequences and character poses in this issue. But her work is still high quality and complements Abel’s superior ability with character emotions.
Final Thoughts
ROGUE SUN #8 continues the series’ focus on Dylan’s growth. There are a lot of comic series about teenagers who gain powers and learn how to be heroes. But Parrot adds an extra dimension to that premise, keeping Dylan’s heroic journey tied to his journey as a teenager. You don’t get one without the other in this series, and that continues to make ROGUE SUN one of the best series about a young hero on the shelves.