GCPD: The Blue Wall #6 – John Ridley, Writer; Stefano Raffaele, Artist; Brad Anderson, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: The conclusion of this grim police thriller finds Renee Montoya forced to put aside her grief and make one last attempt to bring Danny Ortega in alive. The rookie officer, pushed beyond his limit by the racism he encountered, has begun a massacre of police officers and their families. While his fall from grace was oddly fast, he has turned into a terrifying antagonist—and now, the entire GCPD is out for his blood, with many of them saying things that prove him right. Ortega’s father is determined to protect him, and the two other young officers, Park and Wells, have complicated feelings about their fellow rookie. That leaves it to Montoya to take the starring role, and that’s both the biggest strength and biggest weakness of this series. Renee took over, with this series often feeling like a continuation of the work done with her almost twenty years ago in Gotham Central. But that left the young officers, set up as the lead characters, feeling like side stories in their own book. It ultimately turned out to be a bleak but compelling story of just how hard it is to change a corrupt system.
Catwoman #53 – Tini Howard, Writer; Nico Leon, Artist; Veronica Gandini, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: As the two Catwomen make their moves, the crime scene in Gotham gets ever more complicated. Selina is still behind bars, slowly building an army of fellow incarcerated women and playing the guards. Howard does a very good job of setting up just how hard it is to get anything done in prison, from getting a cell phone to training, but Selina is a con artist by trade and some of her fellow inmates have… unique skills as well. Meanwhile, the team of Eiko and Dario continue to try to clean up Gotham—beating down an underground fight scene in the opening segment, and later going up against the villainess Queen of Hearts. The two stories often feel a little disconnected, but there are a few more links in this issue—building to a surprise twist in the end that may be bringing an end to Selina’s time behind bars. The only real complaint I have here is that Selina’s change of heart feels a bit abrupt.
Black Adam #9 – Priest, Writer; Eddy Barrows, Penciller; Eber Ferreira, Inker; Matt Herms, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: Priest always tells the most ambitious comics at DC, and that can be both a blessing and a challenge. With the last act of this series, he’s telling several narratives that dovetail between the present and the distant past. In the present, Adam finds himself watching over his fallen protege while being tempted by an old enemy and protested by a throng of Khandaqi citizens who want him out. In the past, we follow Adam through a period where he had finally had enough of petty pharaohs and took the throne himself—only to find out that ruling fairly is both challenging and frustrating. This brings the Wizard Shazam back into the picture, as well as his old enemy Ibac. Adam is a more flawed and nuanced villain than Priest’s last character study, Deathstroke, but he’s also done even worse things. That makes this a fascinating story where we’re not sure if we want him to find redemption or not.
Harley Quinn the Animated Series: Legion of Bats #6 – Tee Franklin, Writer; Jon Mikel, Artist; Andrew Dalhouse, Colorist
Ray – 7/10
Ray: After five issues of dancing around each other, Harley and Ivy’s lies have been exposed—with Ivy’s supervillain plot with her ex, and Harley’s working with the Bats causing no small amount of conflict. And that’s really all this episode is—Harley and Ivy trying to work things out, while just about everyone around them snarks and bickers. It was satisfying watching Black Mask—the most repulsive character in a show full of jerks and villains—finally get his, but other plots like the rushed kid romance between Damian and a young Cassandra Cain fall flat. Overall, the dialogue in much of the issue is a little too busy, but the final pages which have the two leads finally talk things out are the strongest of the run. It does a good job of capturing the feel of the series, even if it’s always a bit of an acquired taste.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
