Steelworks #4 – Michael Dorn, Writer; Sami Basri/Vicente Cifuentes, Artists; Andrew Dalhouse, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: This technothriller has paid tribute to the character of Steel and his long history, while also following up on plot threads from the Warworld Saga. As John Henry Irons attempts to take Metropolis into the next century with a new power source—and maybe make superheroes obsolete in the process—his headquarters comes under attack by Silver Mist, the ex-employee turned into a mercenary by Irons’ corporate rival. This leads to some great action scenes, as the villain escapes against all odds but Irons pulls a rabbit out of a hat. This issue also follows up on an intriguing DC trend of following up on long-forgotten plots recently, such as Lana Lang’s Superwoman powers. There’s maybe a little too much going on in this series, with it following up on so many plots and old series, but it’s a compelling spotlight for one of the DCU’s best characters to spin out of Reign of the Supermen thirty years back.
City Boy #4 – Greg Pak, Writer; Minkyu Jung, Artist; Sebastian Cheng, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: While the two titles are very different, this unique Greg Pak mini is taking on one similar trait to Gene Luen Yang’s Monkey Prince—it’s constantly on the move. Cameron is out of Metropolis and on to a much darker city—Bludhaven, where his mother moved to start a new family, and where 100,000 people died in a nuclear attack during Infinite Crisis. As he searches for the truth of his mother’s fate, he gets pulled into a battle against Intergang and a conflict with Nightwing as the two of them search for a woman who may be involved with the villains. This is another great example of DC digging deep into the archives as they restore continuity, and Cameron’s unique bond with the ugly-cute avatar of Bludhaven is easily the most interesting part of the issue. But as his powers grow out of control and he struggles to find a place where he’s safe—and people are safe for him—the cliffhanger promises a very different kind of city next issue.
Peacemaker Tries Hard! #5 – Kyle Starks, Writer; Steve Pugh, Artist; Jordie Bellaire, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The penultimate issue of this series shows why Kyle Starks is so good at what he does. This is bar none the funniest issue of the series yet, as Peacemaker and Red Bee infiltrate the Brain’s headquarters. They encounter a bunch of clones of the Brain who are all very confused about whether they have to be evil or not, a pack of homicidal Deathstroke babies, and a teen clone version of Deathstroke who has some very conflicted feelings about Brain, who is NOT his real dad. But then, when they hit the Brain’s lair, this series shifts in some fascinating ways as we see the effect of the Red Bee’s war PTSD, leading to a bloody battle with a surprising heroic sacrifice. It’s so odd that this issue can begin with a hilarious dialogue about how Peacemaker doesn’t understand biology, and then dovetail to some of the most emotional scenes in any comic this week.
The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #10 – Matthew Rosenberg, Writer; Carmine Di Giandomenico, Francesco Francavilla, Artists; Romulo Fajardo Jr, Colorist
Ray – 7/10
Ray: We’re in the last act, with only two issues left of this bloody bicoastal clown romp, and it’s finally time to answer the question—exactly how are there two Jokers? Who’s the impostor? It seems clear enough that the bedraggled Gotham Joker is the real thing, with the Hollywood joker just being a little to slick. But before we get to the answers, we’ve got about twenty pages of killing to get through as the two Jokers’ minions go to war with some of Gotham’s rougher heroes in the middle. Jason Todd is just having a blast as he tears his way through the crooks, but Manhunter and Spoiler seem like they’re just a bit confused by everything. Then, Francesco Francavilla takes over on art to illustrate the origin of the false Joker, and while it looks great as it always does, it’s not exactly a huge reveal—just another example of Joker being too crazy by half and ultimately being his own worst enemy.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
