Bionic Man #25 is here with a plot all about revenge, subterfuge and the nature of being half-man and half-machine.. actually, wait, scrap that, Bionic Man #25 is well.. a lot of things. But is that a good sign?

The official description from Dynamite:

The last thing that Steve Austin needs is a spy within OSI… but that’s exactly what he gets! Relationships are tested to the breaking point as suspicion and blame run rampant. When the double agent’s identity is finally revealed, it will shake the Bionic Man to the core.

Okay… this issue has its good points. There’s plenty of action, drama and the plot has the potential for some interesting themes – but there are a few things that need to be said. Firstly, the constant interaction between Austin and Jaimie is great but it really feels like it’s coming out of nowhere, as if the character is simply shoe-horned into the last arc (yes I know she’s been a background character of late, but still).

Secondly, there’s one obvious flaw with Aaron Gillespie’s overall story revealed in this issue and – SPOILERS – the ‘main villains’ reasons are just plain stupid. A grudge from years ago? This is, to a strong degree, simply the basic plot to Iron Man 3 and, according to the internet, that film is more or less the plot to The Incredibles. And I’m not one to argue with the internet.

Ray Villegas’ art, at least, is pretty good. It has detail and attention that helps in an issue dominated by a very small cast and Thiago Ribeiro’s colors help bring this to life – save for a small overuse of orange (for the explosions and fire, of course).

All in all, this issue can hold it’s own weight but reader’s won’t be blamed if they find it lacking. The story just isn’t mature enough for the plots themes while everything else is simply making do. The whole product just feels slightly off as a result.

3/5