Batman: Fortress #3 – Gary Whitta, Writer; Darick Robertson, Artist; Diego Rodriguez, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: The title of this alien-invasion thriller has been a mystery since the start—what is the Fortress of the title actually referring to? It becomes clear this issue, but not before a lot of developments. When we last left off, Batman had barely survived the alien attack that left Cyborg dead, Superman and Jessica Cruz had gone missing, and a mysterious group of aliens obsessed with destroying any last trace of Krypton descended on Earth to attack Smallville. We learn a little more about these villains this issue—they seem to be descended of survivors of the Kryptonian empire that was led by the House of El centuries ago, and they range from ruthlessly practical to sadistically evil. It’s an interesting concept, similar to the Tribunal in the famous Death of Superman story—villains who are seeking justice for sins of centuries past, but haven’t grasped that they’re actually persecuting the innocent.
This story very clearly takes place out of continuity, as another major death of an iconic Superman supporting player makes clear this issue. As Batman gets increasingly desperate—with the Guardians essentially making clear that Earth has been deemed a tolerable sacrifice—he’s forced to seek out the help of the one person left who may have the resources needed for war—President Luthor. Another major change from continuity, and another case where Whitta lets his politics out a little. This Luthor is very much a combo of Donald Trump and Elon Musk, to the point where it’s a little too on-the-nose, but he’s also smart enough to realize when he hears a good plan, and the two enemies soon hatch a scheme for the biggest heist in DC history. Overall, this series has some great visuals and ideas, but its tone is always just a little odd and that keeps it from quite getting to A-tier.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
