Midnighter and Apollo by Steve Orlando

Midnighter and Apollo Reviews

• 
  anna

  weak, homophobic comics: bury your gays™
  midnighter & apollo: THINK AGAIN
  
  rep: gay mcs, gay side characters
  tw: blood, gore, murder
• 
  K

  Was inspired to write this review sooner rather than later bc the only review on GR for this series as of this writing is from some white dude who felt the need to leave a review that he's "Uninterested" in this series, lmao.
  
  So. MIDNIGHTER & APOLLO, a 6-issue run from Steve Orlando, is pretty much goddamn perfect. The story is well-paced across six issues without feeling too much like a paint-by-numbers fantasy quest. The artwork is gorgeous and there are some seriously stunning and inventive panel layouts (I'm still thinking about when Midnighter beats up the water beast in Issue 2, or storms Neron's castle in Issue 4). For an Orpheus and Eurydice retelling, Orlando did an exceptional job of letting us forget we're reading an Orpheus and Eurydice retelling, focusing instead on Apollo's backstory (both pre- and post-experimentation) and Midnighter's moral qualms, or maybe lack thereof, regarding his pretty much constant murdering. The design of this particular Hell is phenomenal, still recognizably Hellish while offering up some great new twists--I especially loved the design for the Gardens of Carnage. And I really need a Mansions of Happiness board game now because that shit's wonderfully over the top and amazing.
  
  BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT THE QUEER REP OKAY
  
  Midnighter and Apollo are gay. Not "you could maybe read it as romantic if you want to but we're not going to define it that way" gay (cough Russo brothers), not "we'll cut away and let you decide for yourselves" gay (cough loads of other Marvel lines), not "okay sure we'll have some dudes kiss but it was OBVIOUSLY just a ploy to get information" gay (cough Daken), not even "wow these dudes sure will travel through complete hell for each other are we SURE they aren't lovers" gay (COUGH PLANET HULK: WARZONES). They are frank relationship discussions, coming-out backstories, dinner parties complete with post-cleanup kitchen sex gay and it's never lampshaded but it's also never treated as anything less. Their friends know and embrace them (and are in many cases queer themselves); their enemies know and don't use it against them any more than they would exploit anyone's romantic bond. The story is very clear about who they are and what they are to each other--a rare enough thing in mainstream comics--without MAKING that the story (almost unheard of in the Big 2).
  
  I keep wanting to compare this series to Planet Hulk: Warzones, but that's really unfair, because Midnighter & Apollo is the superior series in every way. On the surface, they're similar: our lead journeys through a gruesome wasteland against all odds in a desperate attempt to save his lover/"warbound", and must confront hard truths about himself along the way while tenuously accepting aid or seeking boons from creatures whose motives are unclear. But where PH:Z fails the most--the art's good but not mindblowing, the setting's ridiculous and questionable in numerous ways, but where it really fails--is in its lack of definition. All its edges are blunted--the flashbacks end before their true emotional impact can land, in some cases where it clearly feels it's BECAUSE they wanted to avoid putting a name to Steve & Bucky's relationship, so instead you just get Steve wailing "Buuuucky" a lot without giving us much grounding in why. (They aren't even 616 S&B, so we can't fall back on their 616 history together for any kind of context. They're just two dudes who joined the Supersoldier program together after some sort of pie heist, then hulkapalooza happens.)
  
  But Midnighter & Apollo gives us that emotional connection upfront. It gives us their relationship, and most of all, it gives us a complex relationship. They have their fights, they have unresolved issues--this isn't their first go, and even as they work past what hindered their relationship before (I haven't actually read that story arc but I feel like this series provided the context perfectly) they're both Dealing With Their Own Shit. Midnighter undertaking this task feels momentous rather than contrived; it will change their relationship, but not as much as it will change each of them. And the ending--just--glorious. It's satisfying and character-growing in all kinds of excellent ways.
  
  AND THERE'S NO "BURY YOUR GAYS" TROPE. THEY LIVE. ALL THE QUEER PEOPLE LIVE. THEY FUCKING GET A HAPPY ENDING AND A PERFECT RESCUE KISS BECAUSE THIS IS AN EPIC LOVE STORY OKAY. THEY GET TO HAVE THAT.
  
  I'm glad this was always intended to be a limited run because the story is all the more powerful and tightly knitted for it, but I do hope we'll get more Midnighter & Apollo in other DC lines. They're accused of being the bargain-basement takes on Batman and Superman, but the story confronts that--acknowledges their origins as such, especially in Apollo's case--and gives them the depth they need to be so much more. More Midnighter & Apollo, please. More comics like this, please. And more queer representation in comics that laughs at the very idea of being considered "token." For Midnighter & Apollo, they're anything but.
• 
  Chad

  Basically Midnighter vol. 3. Orlando does put Apollo and Midnighter's relationship front and center by splitting them apart. Neron was an odd choice for the villain. There's a reason he's been forgotten about since Underworld Unleashed. He looks like a Mr. Sinister ripoff, not a demon. He's just not very threatening or menacing. Fernando Blanco's art is in lines with DC's house style. I've not a fan of the tiny little panels on top of bigger panels that's popular now. I always have a hard time connecting with the action (or even figuring out what's in the tiny panels).
  
  It's hard to care about Batman and Superman analogues when they are in the same universe as Batman and Superman and I think that's ultimately why the Authority characters have failed to gain any traction once they were brought into the DC universe.
• 
  Brendan

  This character and storyline is a breath of fresh air in the midst of cliché storylines. Midnighter is ruthless and it's this storyline that works well, the damsel in distress not so much. I wanted to give this a 5 but seeing as the momentum drags a little in the middle it wasn't consistent. I hope they push this character into cinema because it would pave the way for other studios. Midnighter and Apollo make for a good team both inside and outside if you catch my drift. The violence is in your face but never over the top, the character requires it. This is one DC novel to check out.
• 
  Chris Lemmerman

  [Read as single issues]
  Midnighter was one of the few things to come out of DCYou that should have lasted longer than it did. Twelve issues was enough to tell a complete story, but you got the feeling that Steve Orlando had a lot more to say on the character, especially his relationship with estranged boyfriend Apollo. Enter this mini-series, in which Orlando puts that relationship front and centre by ripping the two apart and literally dragging them to Hell and back.
  
  Midnighter is one of those characters that would be easy to write as overpowered and boring - he's basically already won every fight before they begin, thanks to the fight computer in his brain, but that's not the case here. You can really feel the struggles he has to go through to save Apollo, and what he's willing to give up to get him back. It makes their ultimate reunion all the sweeter.
  
  ACO unfortunately doesn't pencil this series, but Fernando Blanco is a very good replacement. He doesn't try to replicate ACO's style, instead bending the unique Midnighter visuals to his own, and he's well-versed in drawing demons and stuff from his runs on both I, Vampire and Phantom Stranger earlier in the New 52.
  
  You don't have to have read the earlier Midnighter series to enjoy this one (although I would highly recommend them), but you owe it to yourself to check this one out.
• 
  Joe Young

  Steve Orlando - writer
  Fernando Blanco - illustrator
  
  A fun, ultra-violent adventure starring everybody's favorite gay Superman and Batman surrogates. The writing by Orlando is solid but falters a bit in the final issue. The art by Blanco is very good, but there is something a little off about the action sequences that detracts from the overall book. All told this is an enjoyable romp that you probably shouldn't think too hard about.
  
  3.5/5
• 
  ngọc ♡

  (A+)
  
  Apollo says fuck your Bury Your Gays bullshit.
  
  Kind of feels like another Midnighter solo run at first, but Apollo really (literally) shines in the last two issues. Love how casually gay everyone is. Fernando Blanco's art is beautiful and I absolutely adore how Romulo Fajardo colors. Steve Orlando is probably my new favorite comic writer now, I gotta check out his other works.
• 
  George Ilsley

  First experience with these characters, and as is typical for me when I wander into a “universe” I felt like I really didn’t know what was going on, or who was who.
  
  Nevertheless I persisted. Always felt natural to me that muscular superhero types should fall for each other, so I enjoyed these two guys being described as “lovers” (so old-school). Bonus points for giving the men nipples and armpit hair. ❤️
• 
  Joseph

  Writer Steve Orlando picks up in this book from his excellent Midnighter series for the DCYou initiative, and makes this book about the relationship between Midnighter and Apollo. Recently re-united as a couple, they are soon challenged to prove their mutual love by facing against the very incarnation of Hell, Lord Neron.
  
  Considering Midnighter is a serious parody of Batman, being even more of a sociopath than Batman, and Apollo, a serious parody of Superman, is even more goody-goody than Superman, there's always the risk of blending the two into some sort of irrelevant pastiche of DC super-hero tropes. Orlando, though, plays these parodies straight (ouch) and writes with such compassion about these two men, so different from one another, who find ways to always return to the relationship in which they were meant to be. Apollo humanizes Midnighter and makes him fragile and even warm, without losing the attributes that makes him Midnighter. That's a nice trick, and Orlando explores this vulnerability within a story that is full of action and gore, just like you'd expect. In the two sex scenes, for example, it's obvious that Midnighter is the more passive partner sexually. This doesn't mean he's less of a man, but it ties into the idea that Apollo is the one person that can tame Midnighter, the one man Midnighter can let his guard down with and just be who he is. It's very touching, to me, actually.
  
  It was nice to see characters from the Midnighter series show up here. These domestic touches were so nice. The scenes in Hell, the fighting Midnighter has to go through just to get to Hell, all are done with some exciting pacing and artwork. Artist Fernando Blanco does some decent work here, even aping some of ACO's panel layout from the previous series, but lacks a certain amount of intensity of ACO. Nevertheless, he provides some freakish renditions of monsters and demons, and his Lord Neron is pretty damn good.
  
  I certainly hope Orlando gets to write these characters again.
  
• 
  Grace

  gay, and i cannot stress this enough, rights
• 
  Chris

  This was a little bit disappointing as a conclusion to the Midnighter story as part of the DCU.
  
  It was a nice character peice, focusing on the relationship between Midnighter and Apollo, but the story itself didn't really grab me.
  
  I don't know if it's because it felt weird that it's all happening in the DCU, or if I just didn't really like the take on some of the characters and places.
  
  I'd definitely be up for more adventures of Midnighter and Apollo, but as a finale (deliberately or not), it left me wanting.
• 
  Dennis

  Midnighter&Apollo doesn't really care about all this bury your gays shit
  a.k.a krwawy retelling mitu o Orfeuszu.
• 
  Rachel

  When Apollo's soul gets taken away, the bad-ass fighting-machine Midnighter is literally willing to go to hell and fight Death itself to save his lover. This premise could have all too easily gone awry, either by becoming too sappy for the character types, or not heartfelt enough for this age old story. And yet, Orlando brilliantly pulls it off, finding the right way to make a genuine feeling love story that doesn't undermine the cool factor of its heroes.
  
  Even though Midnighter receives the most screen time, and is the one who sets out to save Apollo, Apollo is no sidekick, or mere secondary character. He is a person in his own right, fleshed out with a history and motives of his own, and is more than capable of fending for himself, and even saving the one he loves. We easily connect to this sympathetic character, both because of his personality and backstory. Midnigther is not as approachable, he is an anti-hero after all. Ultimately, it is Midnighter's relationship with Apollo that humanizes him. He loves him fiercely (even though they have their issues), trusts him implicitly, and is willing to fight alongside him (there is none of that holding them back nonsense). Both treat and respect each other as equals, and because they have a balanced power dynamic, neither of these male icons ever feels emasculated, even when one of them gets princess carried.
  
  Both the writing and art are to be praised. The dialogue usually adds to either our understanding of the characters or the plot, the story never veers from its course, and the illustrations have some truly standout moments in terms of the layout, image composition, use of colour (lots of cool contrast between golden Apollo and the black shades of Midnighter), and intense action shots. For an example of this awesome art, check out Apollo's first attempt to escape hell from issue 2.
  
  
  
  Midnighter and Apollo is undoubtedly a superhero comic with plenty of action, but it is one with a romantic's heart at its core. More like this please.
• 
  Ariadna

  I read this as soon as I finished the meh that was
  Midnighter, Vol. 2: Hard and it turned out to be great.
  
  There are high stakes, magic shenanigans, Midnighter kicking and killing, Apollo trying to battle for his own soul, and Midnighter/Apollo moments. There are a handful of naughty moments here and there where they, you know, busy (nothing above a PG-13, imo).
  
  TL;DR: A good conclusion to the Midnighter/Apollo saga with a grand adventure and banter that might border the OTT line. I borrowed it from my local library.
• 
  Robert

  The author should have been given the number of a therapist, not a comic contract. Unresolved personal issues leak over every page, unnecessary crude language and gore is confused with content and a storyline that could have been wrapped up in one issue (since it was stolen from Greek Mythology) is strung out interminable for the entire volume.
• 
  Emily

  gay love can pierce through the veil of death and save the day
• 
  Koen

  Never heard about these guys, but I was sincerely happily surprised..
  
  Good story, interesting characters.. and love the art..
  Wouldn't mind reading more about M&A..
  
  
• 
  Vanessa

  Screw him. Screw this place. This is our story. And in our story we don't die in the end.
  
  I've always liked Midnighter and Apollo, cause they weren't like any superheroes I'd known till then. Plus, they were a pretty stable (sort of) gay couple, who even got married and adopted a daughter.
  
  And then DC decided on the reboot (I will never forgive them for various reasons) and screwed them up (like everyone else).
  
  I still read the Midnighter solo stories, even as it pained me to see him with other people cause hey, he's awesome and eventually they made it right again with Apollo in the end. So I was pretty thrilled to find out they'd get a story together and just hoped it would be not rage enducing.
  
  And it wasn't. I think that was even one of the reasons I gave one star more than I usually would have had.
  
  The heart and soul of this story are the feelings these two characters have for each other and how far they would go to protect one another.
  Of course that also means that there is a lot of blood and guts flying around in the name of revenge. Midnighter has got to his thing afterall!
  
  It's clear that this story takes place after Midnighter's solo run, because their relationship is still smarting a bit from their break up a few months ago, but they talk about their problems now. Progress!
  They also have friends, which was nice to see. One played a bigger role in the story that seemed to be an established character I didn't know - someone who was once called "Extrano", but prefers Gregorio (de la Vega) now. I googled him and it turns out that he once was a pretty steriotypical gay character who hadn't appeared in ages. So it was pretty cool to see him now, as an attractive older man who lives happily with his husband and adopted daughter.
  
  The plot was only okay. I guess if the villain presents himself as the master of (literally) hell, I expect something... more? Or something more clever? I don't know. It didn't really work for me beyond the metaphorical level of gay characters beating up everything hell stands for. But I guess the real storyline here was actually Midnighter's pondering about himself and his feelings. Which on one hand was kind of cool because he's such a complex character, but on the other we just had that in his solo run. Aka I'd have liked to see a bit more about Apollo besides his non-wavering faith in his partner. We did learn a bit more about him (why he chose his alias for example), but I'd still like him to take center stage one time one of these days.
  
  The art was pretty neat. Somehow everything looked especially good when there was a lot of blood. I don't know what that says about me.
  I also liked that both Midnighter and Apollo once again were allowed to be intimate on page with each other. Nothing super racy (there is one implied sex scene, though), but there were several kisses, hugs and shirtlessness.
  And I finally got used to Apollo's new haircut.
  
  I would definitely buy more books about these two and their merry band of friends.
• 
  Alex Sarll

  Following on from Orlando's Midnighter run, the loveable killing machine and his solar-powered boyfriend are back together until, wouldn't you know it, some demonic bastards send Apollo to Hell. The 'Kill Your Gays' trope? Nah, more an excuse for Midnighter to take his one rule - "Hit the soft things with your hands. Hit the hard things with utensils" - and go meet the father of all bastards with it. Midnighter punches evil in the face; it's who he is. So where else would his journey take him but giving the Devil himself a sound beating? Along the way, there's one particularly gory double-page spread where he finds a very clever way around the restrictions on killing a particular Duke of Hell, which set me laughing my most booming laugh on the train, and I would like to apologise to anyone sat near me at the time. Really, though, there's so much here to love. Superheroes who, rather than dicking around with some bullshit code which keeps murderers murdering, have the sense to see that some people just need killing, and they're the ones with the capability to do it. Borrowings from the vast tapestry of DC's past - everything from the subway pirates of Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers to such early, awkward attempts at gay heroes as Extrano (not that he likes that name anymore) and the Tasmanian Devil. It's a love letter, not just from Midnighter to Apollo and vice versa, but to how beautifully cluttered shared universes get with treasures, and to the delight of seeing bad people unable to harm anyone ever again. I hope Orlando gets back to these guys again soon.
• 
  Ángel Belmonte Rodes

  Qué descubrimiento. Una historia de superhéroes enamorados en el que uno literalmente va hasta el infierno a buscar al otro, cual tragedia griega. Nivel de violencia usual en estas cosas y además me parece bien justificada para cada personaje (sobre todo Midnighter). Lo único de lo que me puedo quejar es que creo que el villano, Nerón, flaquea un poco.
  
  Gracias especiales a mi novio por descubrirme esta joyita.
• 
  Carola

  3.5 stars. Story was pretty good but the art really bothered me sometimes... The proportions of the arms in many of the panels, argh! (I was then sucked into a half hour long Google search for “how long are arms supposed to be?” - Maybe the arms are perfectly well proportioned? And it's just me? Are my own arms just too abnormally long? Am I judgemental about short arms? #existentialcrisis)
• 
  V.

  Maybe not the best book starring Midnighter and Apollo (though partly it may be that while I am familiar with the characters, I am not with this particular reincarnation of the world, one that does not have Angela and Jenny in it ...) but one that made me incredibly happy.
• 
  Amy!

  I really like Midnighter and his relationship with Apollo, despite how bloody and murdery he is. And WOW! Is he murdery here, though that's to be expected when bitches try to murder Apollo. This prooooobably shouldn't be in my teen graphic novel section, but OH WELL.
• 
  connie

  i don't really know what to say! I enjoyed this, love the romance and the willing to die for each other part (i'm a sucker for superheroes saying that) and i'm glad i finally read a midnighter and apollo comic after so many years of reading about them on wiki pages
• 
  Sandy

  Superhero Midnighter goes to hell to rescue his true love, Apollo.
  
  This was very fun. Good to read if you, like me, are hella sick of the "bury your gays" trope. These gays are unkillable yeah!
  
  Content notes: blood, gore, demons
• 
  Pie

  True love is when your boyfriend is willing to go to Hell and get into a fistfight with a demon in order to get your soul back! This was an excellent miniseries retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice with 1000% more demons and murder, and I have a lot of feelings about Midnighter and Apollo now.
• 
  Scott Robins

  Loved this!
• 
  Tetsuo

  FUCKN CARALHOSO
• 
  Tokio Myers

  Kinda wanted more but okay
• 
  Sid

  fellas is it gay to risk your own life (and powers!) and willingly go to literal hell and then kick both hell's and death's asses to save your boyfrien- oh.