Gen¹³ Volume 2: Road Trip

Gen¹³, Vol. 4 (2006-2011) #Vol. 2

by Gail Simone, Carlos Barberi

The life of a teenager can be a strange enough experience, but when super-powers are added to the mix things get a whole lot more confusing in a hurry. Meet Caitlin, Sarah, Roxy, Bobby, and Eddie -- outcast teenagers from different parts of the country who quickly learn they all have something in common: abilities far beyond those of their classmates. What's the secret to these wonderful and scary powers, and what role do the nefarious Tabula Rasa and International Operations play?

In this second volume, the teens take refuge in the small town of Tranquility for a taste of what a "normal" life with super-powers could be like but end up battling Tranquility's garage band metahumans, the Liberty Snots, as well as I.O.'s heavy hitters, the Authori-teens. Collects Gen¹³ vol. 4, #7-13

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2007

About the author

Gail Simone is a comic book writer well-known for her work on Birds of Prey (DC), Wonder Woman (DC), and Deadpool (Marvel), among others, and has also written humorous and critical commentary on comics and the comics industry such as the original "Women in Refrigerators" website and a regular column called "You'll All Be Sorry".

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this one as well as the first Gen-13 volume that Simone wrote; the art was not as good, and neither was the story. It picks up where the first book ended, with the team escaping, and the first sequence is a lot of fun (with dinosaurs!), but after that the majority of the book collapses into a kind of confused mess that perhaps is trying to mesh with a universal reboot detailed in other titles, but I never really figured it out and wasn't engaged enough to make the effort. I was interested in the title characters and their interaction and growth and just wanted them to get out of there and get on with something better. There are three teen teams competing at one point, and while some of the other characters are interesting and/or amusing at points (Authoriteens Aggregate! was a funny rally cry), it never came together as whole... the Gen-13 team had some great individual lines and moments, but there wasn't enough of a story.

[***Dave Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second volume of Gail Simone's attempt to reboot Gen13 into the DCU continues, including veering over to her beloved superhero retirement town of Tranquility, and meeting the strangest super-youth group of all, the Authoriteens.

Simone keeps up the alternately light and raucous humor masking over some deeper wounds as we explore more of the Gen13 members' backgrounds. But ultimately it's a narrative mess, too many characters, too many shifting plotlines and settings (with too many flashbacks), and no chance for her to dig into the people in a way that feels like it will stick. I ended the book feeling more frustrated and confused by where the book was headed than I wanted to be. And, as this was the last set of issues Simone wrote (which is why I picked it up), that's the end of this particular journey for me.

[Ollie · Rating 1 out of 5]

And the downward spiral continues. Just let it be some sort of consolation that, as bad as this volume is, it's not the worst the latest reboot of Gen13 got.

So what do we have in this one? Well, for one, Talent Caldwell is gone, and really, let's not blame him for bailing from this sinking ship. As for the story, the kids are on the run, get to Tranquility (a superhero retirement community) and the story basically comes to an end as laughable characters are introduced, fight the Gen13ers, and since the story continues after this, I'll let you guess who won. Nothing new is revealed, and no highs and lows created. Boring boring boring.

Mixed into this boring broth of a comic book is, as usual, stupid dialogue (kids don't aren't so creative to talk like this, Gail Simone), forced sentimentality, no motivation by any of the characters, and a confusing attempt to explain the entire Gen13 universe (they all existed in previous universes and belong together, which is why they always end up together and feel like they miss each other all the time). Nice try, but seriously, try harder, OK?

Big ups to Barberi for stepping in and making the best of the artwork even though it's a bit monotonous and stiff, but really, it's was too late to save at this point.

[Wolverina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utterly hilarious.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the first volume - the Authoriteens are pretty funny. By the end it seemed like the team was gelling some, which makes it kind of sad that Simone's tenure ended with this volume.