[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Tom Taylor
Penciller: Bruno Redondo
Inker: Juan Albarran
Colors: Rex Lokus
Summary
Damian has taken Alfred’s body and resurrected him in a Lazurus Pit and is trying to take care of him to get him back to help. Meanwhile, Ra’s al Ghul has announced to Batman that he plans a mass killing and any interference will result in the death of Connor Queen and Black Lightning’s daughters. Thankfully, Bruce placed a tracker on Connor and knows they are in South America, probably underground.
Dinah and Ollie see this move by Bruce as using Connor for bait instead of simply as a precaution. Batman ends up turning the lead on this over to Batgirl after she confronts Bruce, Dinah and Ollie with their emotional connection to the situation. However, it’s up to Bruce to recruit one final member of the Justice League Task Force for this particular mission – Plastic Man. Could there be two diametrically opposed characters?
Through some really funny moments, Batman successfully gets Plas on board and they end up picking up Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle along the way. Next stop, the Amazon Rainforest!
Positives
Once again, the character work is excellent. And again, the character work is melded into the story itself. The sequence with Batman and Plastic Man’s son perfectly illustrates both characters’…well, character. This sequence is a textbook example of how to tell a story that focuses on character. It’s magic.
Additionally, the story overall has become a series of character studies that move the plot forward in a satisfying manner. It would be easy to speed things up by “getting to it,” but the character moments are what make this book so good right now. Enjoying these characters makes this so much more than a video game tie in.
Negatives
Much like the past few issues, this book has doubled down on character and become excellent. No negatives here.
Verdict
This book has transcended the video game tie in that it is and become a really great alternate Earth story featuring the greatest heroes of the DC Universe. Tom Taylor has found the right voice for these characters in an extreme situation while peppering in some nostalgia along the way.
