Reborn #1 looks terrific but the writing is cheesy and exploitatively sentimental. As corny as things in the afterlife are, he really shines when it comes to high-concept action – likely a result of drawing Batman and Spawn for years! And I loved the full-page visual of Bonnie being reborn with her transition drawn as a chandelier breaking into pieces and reforming into a person - so imaginative. I loved seeing Greg Capullo’s art again which looks as wonderful as ever.

Once we’re into the afterlife, things resemble a mashup of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings which feels derivative and silly, not to mention the cliché of our protagonist being the “Chosen One”! And the cloying sentiment of Bonnie being reunited with her dad – bleurgh! And of course everyone’s a very specific age – not too young, not too old, juuuust right! Contrived much? Any other writer working this angle might have a chance at selling it better but not Millar. Millar’s recent switch to an optimistic angle (like his last book, Huck) feels so contrived and calculating. I’ve read Millar for years – this guy’s all about brutality and shocking the reader, even coldly viewing rape as a plot device. You know why it doesn’t work (at least for me)? I know this writer’s comics too well. If you saw the Pixar movie Up you’ll know the first ten minutes is devastating – if you didn’t bawl your eyes out, you’re not human! I’ll wager Millar saw that movie too and noted its overwhelmingly positive response in people because he spends most of this first issue attempting, and failing, to recreate the same kind of emotional weight. Mark Millar’s latest movie storyboard sees him paired with acclaimed Batman artist Greg Capullo for an unusual story of the afterlife in Reborn. Nobody wants to die but when it’s time, it’s time, and for frail and elderly Bonnie Black, prone to strokes, her time is now.

Reborn by mark millar