Bionic Man #14 Review

With an unlikely union between Steve Austin and ‘Bigfoot’, the latest issue of Bionic Man is a bit unusual. It does ask for some suspension of disbelief; yet for those who do, they may find a very rewarding story. That said, Bionic Man #14 may push this a little too far.

The official description from Dynamite:

While the Secret of Bigfoot may be solved, a host of new questions emerge and the answers have Steve seeing red! With an unlikely ally by his side and a mysterious enemy in his crosshairs, Steve finds himself deep inside dangerous territory. But what he finds there may spell the end for the Bionic Man. Part 3 of The Secret of Bigfoot pits Steve against his strangest and most deadly adversary yet!

The issue opens straight from the last one, with Bigfoot captured and Steve Austin on the floor. Naturally, like most issues of The Bionic Man, this doesn’t last for long. Austin quickly gains the upper hand and wraps up the conflict quickly.

The middle portion of this story is then more or less back story and exposition. The basics of Bigfoot (by this point, he could use a name) were easy to guess, but exploring the back story further serves its purposes. It sets up another organization to play the role of a perceived threat, and it allows the audience to relate and sympathies with Bigfoot as a character.

Speaking of Bigfoot himself, this is one of the issues with the latest release, which may split fans depending on how you like your Bionic Man to play out. I’ve mentioned before that the comic takes the initiative to do the things the TV show couldn’t, whether for practicality or financial reasons. Bigfoot is a perfect example of this, but one that may be taken overboard by the end of the issue. Its also a little cliched, some readers may notice an obvious set up that comes as no surprise at the cliffhanger ending. Likewise, there is basically what amounts to a mad doctor. As tropes go, this is a fairly obvious one, as well as something I’d hoped Bionic Man would avoid, or at least put some creative work into.

That said, the developments between Austin and Bigfoot are at the core of this issue, and it helps keep the story afloat despite its faults. The next issue looks like it may be over the top, but if its anything like this one, it may still hold its ground.