Batman: Gotham By Gaslight – The Kryptonian Age #6 – Andy Diggle, Writer; Leandro Fernandez, Artist; Matt Hollingsworth, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: This series has been building and building momentum since it launched, with each issue introducing a host of new characters from across the DCU and how they fit into this strange 1800s world. And they’ve all been converging here – on a small western town, where Sheriff Clark Kent pulls off seemingly impossible feats without ever firing a gun. He just recently captured two infamous bandits – but something much more dangerous is coming, and it spreads across the world. In a secret sanctum in the Middle East, a bedraggled John Constantine attempts to cut a deal with a skeptical Ra’s Al Ghul. In the middle of the ocean, Adam Strange and Diana Prince discover that their ship has been infiltrated by a strange being from another world – one who seems to be able to drive men to madness just by looking at them, and who is searching for the last son of Krypton.
And in western Kansas, the circus has come to town. Those two bandits were just the vanguard of a much bigger attack – one led by a very dangerous circus ringmaster named Harley Quinn. This madwoman and her team of villains including Copperhead and Killer Croc are in search of an ancient artifact with ties to Krypton – but the Sheriff they interrogated to find its location is going to be much harder to get rid of than they anticipated. Many characters don’t even appear in this issue, but Batman and Alan Scott play a key role towards the end, as the small-town con-man makes a fateful choice – and proves himself worth of the power he inherited. The series is taking a break now before coming back in 2025 with a new title – and a new team formed. There was so much to balance in this series so far, but Diggle has expanded this world into something truly fascinating and incredibly ambitious.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
