Bombshells United #17 – Marguerite Bennett, Writer; Siya Oum, Artist; J. Nanjan, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 8/10
Corrina: Lois & Supergirl…sittin’ in a tree….
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
Ray: With only three issues to go, Bombshells United #17 kicks its plot into high gear for the grand finale. That’s a double-edged sword, as while this is one of the most exciting issues of the series, it’s also almost shockingly overstuffed. It introduces multiple new villains, catches us up with dozens of characters, and features more than a few major plot developments. The issue opens in the format of a WW2 Newsreel, catching people up on the exploits of the Bombshells around the world. Nice to see Cassandra Cain name-dropped again, but is she ever going to meet the rest of the crew? There are so many fun Easter eggs in this issue, from the appearance of Kanga to a cameo by Gorilla City. The first major new villain to debut is a seeming alien invader known as The Queen Above the White. She turns out to be none other than Lena Luthor, a pioneering astronaut returning to Earth to seek revenge against her brother for her exile in space.
The other main villain is the third of the ancient evil forces unleashed by the Joker’s daughter and Nygma – the Joker, here reinvented as a dark spirit who had ties to Harley Quinn once upon a time. I’m a fan of the less human takes on the Joker, as we saw in Scott Snyder’s run, but we’ve never seen one quite so inhuman as here. Making his connection to Harley less romantic and more demonic works, making Harley less of a lovestruck victim initially. In between all the chaos, we get some more guest appearances, including the first appearance of the Flash of this world – I’m pretty sure she’s supposed to be Jesse Quick – and the romantic subtext between Lois Lane and Supergirl finally becomes canon. The addition of Parallax as a third new villain at the end, and the apparent death that comes with it, feels a bit out of nowhere, though. Overall, I did very much enjoy this issue, but there’s a lot to resolve in only forty more pages.
Corrina: There is so much going on this issue that Lois Lane and Supergirl’s kiss, a lovely moment, is almost lost in the rest of the story, not to mention Jesse Quick’s first appearance in this series. I think Bennett is trying to squeeze as many characters in these last few issues as she can. That is not a complaint.
And, hey, KANGAS. Sort of.
On the story itself, we have three major villains start their moves, with the issue checking in on all of those attacks, while never losing sight of the fact that it’s the character interactions that make this book great. I’m already missing it and it’s not even gone yet.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
