[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers.]
Writer: Rob Williams
Artists: Jim Lee and Christian Ward
Inkers: Scott Williams, Jonathan Glapion, Sandra Hope and Christian Ward
Summary
The front story is the ending of the Black Vault series in which the Squad has brought Hack onto the team, lost Boomerang, encountered the Russian version of the Suicide Squad, captured General Zod and been taken over by whatever mysterious powers are in the Black Vault. Those powers turn everyone crazy which means they turn Harley sane and back into Dr. Quinzel. She has to fight the whole team and save the day. Sure, no worries.
The back story gives us an in depth look at June Moon’s state of mind. It is not pretty.
Positives
Rob Williams and Jim Lee drop the mic. There is one panel where Harleen is about to get killed but Katana saves her by cutting off the hands of the would be assassin. Blood flies. The word slice is spelled out in the air with a few extra letters. Dr. Quinzel grabs the severed hand that was holding a taser, and uses said hand and taser to subdue Katana. Wow. That is so amazing. Here are my questions.
- How the hell did Williams come up with that?
- How did he convince Jim Lee to draw that?
- Why do you both rock so hard?
Also, alternate covers do not normally make the cut when it comes to positives, but seriously. Look:
There are no words. I just bow down to you sir. I bow.
As promised, each new issue of this book comes with a direct quote. Why? Because Rob Williams’ dialogue deserves to be highlighted. Dr. Harleen Quinzel:
“It’s tough to make quips when you’re terrified and it turns out sane people are scared all the time…It’s a miracle anyone holds it together.”
It is not as funny as previous quotes, but it is brilliant, honest and true.
By the way, guess who is back?
The back story is about Enchantress. It is called trapped. It is beautifully drawn by Christian Ward. There is something about the way the lines of this book are soft that makes perfect sense. It is not really a story about Enchantress as much as it is about June Moon. Thus, softness makes perfect sense.
Williams succeeds in giving us compassion for each character in every single back story. There is no exception here. How can you not feel bad for a woman who is curled up in a fetal position inside her own head?
Negatives
Other than this not really having the resolution I think we needed before the SS vs JL crossover event, this is spot on perfect. This book is running on rails.
Verdict
If you can only read one DC book, read this one. Of course, you will also need to read Justice League and the cross over books for the next few months, so, read those too. I know I will.
