Cyborg #1 Review

Writer: David F. Walker / Artist: Ivan Reis / DC Comics This review is sort of a special moment for my colleagues here at the offices of Black Nerd Problems. Since I started writing here, it’s been a longtime running joke among the crew that I hate Cyborg as a character. I have ALWAYS hated Cyborg as a character. As a matter of fact, one of the things that got me noticed by our collective in the beginning was a rant on my blog about how Cyborg represents everything I’ve loathed about DC’s Black characters over the years. But now, DC has decided to use their big “DC You” relaunch initiative to slap a much needed fresh coat of paint on a character who hasn’t had much solo time over the years. And if they’re taking this book seriously enough to bring in David F. Walker (Shaft) and Ivan Reis, there’s no reason I shouldn’t give it the once-over with an open mind. One of the problems I’ve had with Cyborg’s character since I was a kid (aside from being how I became acquainted with terms like “quota”) is that, despite his obvious pathos from struggling with his humanity, there’s never been much personality to connect with, really. With Superman, no matter how you feel about him, you kinda know how he’s going to react in most situations. You know that Batman doesn’t really trust anyone and probably has a file on every living organism he’s come in contact with since he was ten. But there’s not a whole lot of personality traits you unilaterally assign to Cyborg. Right off the bat, Walke…