My Rating
“Exposé”
Nina Justis has made it to the top of the talk-show circuit with her bestselling book about alien abduction. Her supposed “experiences” aboard the “mothership” became the ultimate cash cow, bringing her fame, fortune, and plenty of airtime. Unfortunately, the good times came crashing down after Jimmy Olsen, Link Rambeau, Linda Park, and several others publicly challenged her fantastic claims. Who does Nina have to thank for destroying her lucrative writing career? The Challengers of the Unknown, of course.
Now Nina wants revenge, and what better way to strike back than with an exposé? If she can dig deeply enough into the Challengers’ mysterious past, perhaps she can uncover a few secrets they would rather keep buried. After all, a group of paranormal investigators who spend their lives chasing monsters, aliens, and unexplained phenomena must have a few skeletons hiding in the closet.
Can Nina Justis uncover the true origins of the Challengers of the Unknown? What dirty laundry will she drag into the public spotlight? Are the strange events surrounding her investigation actually happening, or has Nina finally lost touch with reality? Will there be another close encounter of the fourth kind? Collect the series to find out!
Review
I continue to love the artwork in Challengers of the Unknown, but I had a hard time keeping track of what was happening in this issue. There is a lot of bouncing between scenes, characters, memories, interviews, and strange imagery. I understand that some of the confusion appears intentional, but there were several moments when I found myself flipping backward a page or two just to make sure I hadn’t missed something. Was this live or Memorex?
That said, I do like the basic idea behind “Exposé.” Turning the tables and having someone investigate the Challengers makes for an interesting change of pace. Nina Justis also works well as an antagonist because her motivation isn’t particularly complicated. She believes the Challengers ruined her career, and now she intends to return the favor by dragging their secrets into the light. It also gives the story an excuse to poke around the strange history surrounding the team.
Unfortunately, the execution didn’t grab me as much as the concept. The constant scene changes made the story feel more complicated than it needed to be, and by the end I was still trying to separate what actually happened from what may have existed only in someone’s head. The artwork remains the highlight for me, and there are enough weird ideas floating around to keep things interesting. I just wish the storytelling had given those ideas a little more room to breathe. Three out of five stars.