Green Arrow #28 – Chris Condon, Writer; Montos, Artist; Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: As this series gets ready to wrap up its arc, its final story is a gritty thriller about the plague of street drugs – and the people who profit from death. Roy Harper was one of the first victims of the Crimson Archer, nearly being forced into an overdosed. He’s not fully recovered yet – but he and his daughter Cheshire Cat are back on the streets trying to protect others. This segment is fun and hopeful – but Green Arrow and his detective ally are delving deeper and deeper into the underworld during this same period. They have the evidence, but it soon becomes clear this isn’t an ordinary drug that’s killing these people. It’s a rare poison tied to a now-defunct company – and that company may have reinvented itself in this city. The pace is a little slow, but this arc continues to have very strong characterization and a noir vibe that calls back to the great Mike Barr run.
New History of the DC Universe #3 – Mark Waid, Writer; Dan Jurgens/Norm Rapmund, Doug Mahnke, Artists; John Kalisz, David Baron, Colorists
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This is the era of comics I grew up in, starting shortly after Crisis on Infinite Earths and diving full-on into the DCU in the early 90s, so it was interesting seeing the whole era revisited in this issue. Dan Jurgens, one of the most iconic artists in DC history, comes back to illustrate some of his most eventful stories – including the Death of Superman, Zero Hour, and later events like Sinestro Corps and Infinite Crisis. There are some interesting rewrites of continuity in this issue, with Supergirl’s return being neatly written into continuity rather than her being essentially a new character when she returned. But while the first issue had more of a narrative, at this point the issues are trying to recap a lot, so it can feel like we’re rushing through some key events. While I don’t know if this adds anything for those who have read the stories, it’s an incredibly thorough recap of 80 years of DC history.
Mr. Terrific: Year One #5 – Al Letson, Writer; Valentine De Landro, Artist; Marissa Louise, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: We’re in the final act of this series, with only one issue to go. The framing segment continues to deliver some exciting sci-fi action, with a surprising appearance by a character who’s incredibly key to Mr. Terrific’s character. But the main story continues to take place in the past, with Athena Prescott having barely survived last issue’s massive explosion – but come out somehow changed. The core of this issue is Michael Holt getting a visit from his old friend Jefferson Pierce – who was a close friend of Paula as well. The two of them hash out some old painful issues before heading off to take on Comorant, the villain responsible for Dre’s death. But of course, we know the assassin isn’t the actual real villain here. Black Lightning continues to be one of my favorite DC heroes, so seeing him play a key role in Holt’s origin story was a very pleasant surprise.
Harley Quinn #54 – Elliott Kalan, Writer; Carlos Olivares, Artist; Marissa Louise, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: Harley’s gone missing, and all of Throatcutter Hill is on the lookout for her. But she’s been kidnapped – by the duo of Mayfly and Gunbunny, who are driving her on an involuntary road trip to an interested buyer. This issue is basically non-stop action comedy from minute one, with Harley chaotically fighting her way out of captivity, finding herself stranded in the Coast City Zoo, and trying to ride a Tapir to safety. There’s just one problem – Fire and Ice are at the zoo for a kids’ event, and they don’t know Harley is (sort of) reformed. There are plenty of funny gags here about Very Close Friends who seem like a little more than friends, although every Athena Prescott scene does just kind of make me want to see Ivy back in Harley’s book. The ending introduces a new villain with ties to one of the other rogues, and he looks suitably over-the-top for this often-ridiculous title.
DC vs. Vampires: World War V #12 – Matthew Rosenberg, Andrew Klein, Writers; Otto Schmidt, French Carlomagno, Artists; Pierluigi Casolino, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: This oversized issue brings the entire DC vs. Vampires saga to a close, and it ends as it began – big and bombastic. This series never quite had the horror vibe of DCeased, instead focusing on breakneck action with an occasional dose of splatterstick. That being said, this final issue does have some surprising moments – including the fate of Damian Wayne, seemingly killed last issue by Alfred. Of course, the wily old man had some surprises up his sleeve – as do Constantine and Fate for Miracle and Barda’s daughter. Once the final battle begins, it moves fast, and one last betrayal comes and goes too fast for it to have much impact before the curtain falls on a destroyed world starting to rebuild.
That being said, the final backup – “Heartland” by Andrew Klein and French Carlomango – focuses on the Haunted Tank and is surprisingly great. It follows an ordinary young soldier in a tank haunted by a long-dead Union general as he tries to save one little girl in the opening days of the invasion. Fun stuff, more of this, please.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
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