One-Star Squadron #4 Review

Isn't Satire Supposed to Be Funny Or Clever?

Written by: Mark Russell

Art by: Steve Lieber,  Dave Stewart & Dave Sharpe

Cover price: $3.99

Release date: March 1, 2022

 

One-Star Squadron #4 continues the HEROZ4U shenanigans when red Tornado is tasked with firing half the staff to cut costs. When the realization of layoffs becomes public and Powergirl finds out her backstabbing schemes backfired, Red Tornado steps up to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Was It Good?

I've been hard on this series for its cynically tone-deaf approach to corporate life, heroes, and every pop culture beef with capitalism under the sun, wrapped in a vegan burrito shell of attempted humor that's just as flat and tasteless as you would imagine.

One-Star Squadron #4 is more of the same. Cynical to the extreme. Bad jokes that not only don't land but miss the runway by a mile. And sad, pathetic characters who have no business being in the situation they're in.

There's nothing vaguely superhero-ish about his comic. There's nothing amusing or entertaining about this comic. It's mean-spirited, sad, and depressing.

The art is just okay. Lieber's art fits the spirit of the story, so I guess you could say that's a positive.

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Bits and Pieces

One-Star Squadron #4 is a sad, spiritually ugly, depressing continuation of a story that (I suppose) is intended to be biting satire. However, the jokes don't land, the satire is just mean-spirited, and the one bright spot from the first issue (Gangbuster) finally returns only to be shuffled off with a Trick-or-Treat moment gone wrong. Somebody, please put this misery out of its misery.

4/10