Freedom Fighters #10 – Robert Venditti, Writer; Eddy Barrows, Penciller; Eber Ferreira, Inker; Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 5/10
Ray: With Freedom Fighters #10, We’re in the last act of this explosive miniseries, and Eddy Barrows is back on art full time to show off his widescreen skills as the battle for America heats up. If you like Eddy Barrows art, and I definitely do, this book is a feast for the eyes – but that’s largely all it is, as the massive splash pages can’t cover up the fact that a story and cast of characters never really developed here.
The Battle of Detroit has reignited the American spirit and with it Uncle Sam’s powers, and he single-handedly turns the tide of the battle by returning to giant size and stomping on Nazi tanks. Some details about Phantom Lady are dropped, as she hints that she’s the daughter of a Nazi war criminal trying to undo her father’s crimes. This is the kind of major detail that feels like it should have been dropped a lot earlier in the story. The depiction of the massive Nazi war machines is excellent, but it still feels like a video game.
The other characters are in grimmer states. Black Condor is grappling with the consequences of his decision to take the Plasstic Man serum – these empowered foot soldiers break down and die in only months. Human Bomb and Doll Woman, still trapped by Hitler’s grandson, form a pact to go out together if need be to destroy the Nazi HQ.
The big development has Hitler’s cowardly son clashing with his sadistic grandson who is more determined to win the war at any cost, and by the end we have a new lead villain. None of the villains in this story have really had more development than a few basic traits, but this slovenly torture-fetishist Hitler heir has been one of the worst parts of the series so far, and I’m not really looking forward to seeing him as the new main villain. The finale should look great, but unlike Venditti’s other DC title at the moment, this books feels like a missed opportunity.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
