Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter #4 – Jay Kristoff, Tom Taylor, Writers; Tirso, Riccardo Federici, Artists; Arif Prianto, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: As Deathstroke, the child Alec Holland, and Prince Bruce descend deeper into the frozen lands, they come under assault by an army of zombies, providing some brutal fantasy action. But this issue’s real strength is in its flashbacks – revealing the origin of the Allwinter. The power play between a king Maxwell Lord and the culprit is intriguing, and the identity of the main villain makes so much sense that it surprises me that it still took me by surprise. Along the way, we get more evidence that this is a much more nuanced version of Deathstroke – one who deeply grieves his losses and is seeking redemption, even if he won’t admit it to himself. The action escalates until a tense cliffhanger, as we head into the last act of this series with the fate of the world at stake.
The backup, focusing on the Kents as they raise the child Arthur Curry, escalates this issue as well as we find the new family under attack from King Shark and the army of Black Manta. This brings in some old allies – as well as revealing the true extent of Arthur’s powers. It’s very interesting to see how the Kents evolve in a world without the mercy and hope of the one we know them best from.
Multiversus: Collision Detected #3 – Brian Q. Miller, Writer; Jon Sommariva, Artist; Matt Herms, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: Based on a video game, this crossover comic seems to embrace that energy and just give us as much chaotic fun as possible. This issue is pretty much action from beginning to end, with Wonder Woman and allies defeating the Wicked Witch of the West – while Batman and Superman have more trouble with a massive Brainiac ship that has been hijacked by Rick Sanchez and is dropping an army of robot Jake the Dogs and Tom and Jerry drones down on them. Their success doesn’t last forever, and soon just about all the characters are trapped and get to interact – leading to hilarious bits like Shaggy and Scooby disagreeing with Bugs’ choice of snack. It’s all fun, but it sort of lacks a driving plot, feeling more like just a random collection of chaotic scenes. That continues until the end – which raises the prospect of a villain being the one steering the chaos. Could some darker elements be entering the fray soon?
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
