The Good
James Robinson left last issue on something of a cliffhanger after Green Lantern, the Flash, and Dr. Fate had the same idea as the World Army in attacking Dherain, seat of power of Steppenwolf and Apokolips’ forces on Earth 2. They were met by the (fantastically named) Hunger Dogs of Apokolips, a titanically powerful trio of villains, and it looked like a battle was to begin. That battle, as the issue opens, was a catastrophic defeat for the assembled force, leaving some dead, others completely incapacitated and only one still cogent enough to relay what was happening. The monumentally strong Brutaal, the mystically immune Beguiler and the insanity inducing Bedlam seemed to be more than a match for the heroes. Meanwhile, Hawkgirl continues her investigation in an effort to uncover the secret behind Alan Scott’s fiancee’s assassination, believing there is far, far more to it than a simple power play and Big Barda faces Fury with her husband Mr. Miracle while they search for the mysterious Batman of Earth 2. These three plotlines exist very independently, but they’re all absolutely fascinating, two of them containing mysteries that may not be solved by the time Robinson exits the title.
The battle that the issue opens with is one of the best in the series, and this is a series that has made enormous, brutal battles one of its hallmarks, as the Hunger Dogs display power that even Solomon Grundy would have flinched at. Robinson has an ability to take dialog that would sound awkward (“Making them all psycho crazy.” “His mask fired some kind of Apokolips death-beam.”) and making it sound completely organic. Both those lines are spoken by Flash, but thanks to his fantastic characterization, they actually sound like things the kind of person in his situation would say.
Let’s talk about Nicola and Trevor Scott, who handle artistic duties. These two have made this series an absolute joy to behold from the character designs right up to the action. There have been characters who’ve stood out more than others, but everything has a standard of excellence across the board, but this issue takes it to a whole other level, particularly with the action. There’s a true skill to taking an epic, grandiose battle and making it still feel powerful from moment to moment and, more importantly, intimate. A massive battle zoomed out might look great, but actually seeing people get their head torn off or their faces contort in pain and exertion makes drives the importance of what’s going on, both in a macro and micro sense. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the absolutely fantastic Juan Doe cover. I have a soft spot for old school-style propaganda posters and this one is one of the best I’ve seen in awhile.
The Bad
My first complaint is about as fanboyish as I get and that’s that I need more Hawkgirl. She’s one of my favorite characters in the series and while she continuously appears, I need her in the spotlight. I need it SO BAD! This ties in to a more concrete complaint and that’s that, while I enjoy all three plot threads and think they’re all leading to something great, focusing on all of them leads to this issue feeling fractured and schizophrenic. It’s one thing to take a break from the action to let the audience catch their breath, but it’s quite another to momentarily focus on one plot thread only to throw us into a third, also action-packed one. It comes off more like a roller coaster that stops mid-drop for a second only to plummet the rest of the way. With a few more pages, this kind of thing could work, but it feels very rushed with how it appears. I’m also not sure how Robinson is going to tie up these issues with only one remaining in his run and which, if any, plot threads will be left dangling.
The Verdict
This remains one of the best action-oriented comics on the shelf. The amount of depth and nuance that has been brought to these stories, despite the focus on massive superhero brawls, is commendable and almost unreal. This issue, minor complaints aside, stays on that target, still developing the Flash as a complex and nuanced character, showing a great repartee, both verbally and physically, between Barda and Miracle and even showing how two type-As like Alan Scott and the Atom can work perfectly together when push comes to shove. Showing characterization through action is one of this book’s strongest suits and it’s something this issue does so subtly that you just may have missed it. Which is a great excuse to go back and read it again!