Secret Origins #5

Not a bad anthology this time around, but the first two could have definitely used some more work, especially the middle one, which was almost lazy. Still, Jeff Parker came out trumps, and it was nice to see such a different side to Mera. Read Full Review

While I'm trying to hold off passing true judgment on this book (I say true judgement because I have been known to bitch about it from time to time) I really want to see what this series becomes after we're done dealing with the founding members of the Justice League and it focuses on more lower tier characters.  Now that being said, I have to say that this issue seems to be on the right track with it's trio of characters.  While Cyborg is a founding member of the League, he is also the one that gets the shaft more than anyone else and I simply enjoy seeing him in comics.  Great stories all around except for a discrepancy I have with Red Hood's tale.  Really just pick and choose your issues here for characters you want to get to know better, as for collecting this series as a whole, I don't really see the point. Read Full Review

I feel like the solid work of the Cyborg and Mera stories help boost this one for me, particularly because I like Jeff Parker's work with Mera and Aquaman. It also does have a nice Bermejo cover. The larger, splashier images from Herbert and Cifuentes in the Red Hood origin are definitely worth a gander. But if you're not a fan of any of these characters or don't have some other reason for investing in them, I think it's probably skippable. Read Full Review

Overall, Secret Origins has proven to be DC's sad attempt to let readers now what the true origins these characters are. The bad ones are still intact, and many good ones are changed. This issue has some promising stories, but none of them actually work out at the end. Read Full Review

I like the concept. I probably will pick up other issues, provided they feature beloved characters, but it's just not for everyone and I'm afraid most of you would not be too happy about spending the equivalent of 5$ on this issue. Read Full Review

SECRET ORIGINS #5 is an auto-purchase for many fans, simply because of Marv Wolfman Cyborg. If you're in this category, enjoy – the first story is pretty good, and if you feel like it, you could even check out MERA. But otherwise? SECRET ORIGINS largely seeks to convince readers to buy a $5.99 monthly on the merit of one or two origins of prominent characters, but if any of the three are less than stellar, it's very rarely worth the asking price. This is no exception. If Cyborg isn't worth the price of admission to you, the rest of the book won't make up for it. Skip it. Read Full Review

WhiteLantern

Oct 03, 2014

We're given three origins in this issue: Cyborg, Red Hood, and Mera. It's nice that Cyborg creator Marv Wolfman got to write the new origin, since he could stay relatively close to the original story, as well as the new origin Geoff Johns wrote in Justice League. The story is short, and told mainly as a flashback, but it's well done, and really gets across the love father and son have for each other. The art isn't the best I've seen, but it's still really nice, with some well detailed work. Cyborg - 8.5/10. Red Hood's origin is cluttered with narration, which can be a bit much at time. Overall, the story is told well enough, but I don't like the changes made from the "A Death in the Family" story from '88. What really helps the book is the art from Jack Herbert. Every page, every panel is beautiful to look at. The actual dialogue and narration aren't too interesting, but the art is nice. Red Hood - 6/10. Mera's origin is actually really nicely done. The art is really well done, and the story gels nicely with what we've seen in the Aquaman monthly. Jeff Parker's script flows well, for the most part. The strange part is when Mera is talking to herself, waiting for shipwrecks to breach the barrier. Narration captions would have been more logical, I think. But that's a nitpick. Mera - 9/10. more

CharlieRock

Nov 02, 2014

Mera's story was okay, Cyborg's was nice but I think the character has enough potential to warrant a solo series not just an "origin". Red Hood's was confusing.