Jenny Sparks #6 – Tom King, Writer; Jeff Spokes, Artist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Tom King continues to unravel the complex and messy world we live in through this comic, with it often feeling more like him exorcising his own feelings than anything else. There’s always a bit of that in his work, and it’s in many ways the special sauce, but never more so than in this one – and that’s made this one of his most divisive wars yet. But this issue shifts the focus from foreign policy to another global crisis – the Covid-19 pandemic. From Jenny Sparks’ perspective, this might be the most infuriating one yet, because she can’t punch her way out of it. She can’t hunt down the architects. All she can do is wait, just like everyone else. The issue’s best scene is where she rails at a mask-wearing Superman, speaking to the frustration everyone’s feeling – as Superman reacts pretty much exactly as we knew he would. It’s strange to think of this era as “history”, but here we are.
Of course, we’re also in the middle of another plot, in which the demented Captain Atom holds a group of bar-goers hostage and has killed several Justice Leaguer members, while Jenny tries to secure their freedom. This is interesting, because Captain Atom’s characterization has always been a bit spotty, and this issue makes clear that’s by design. This is someone whose mind has literally been splintered by the process that gave him his powers, and he’s continuing to unravel piece by piece. As Jenny starts to lose her patience, he becomes increasingly unhinged, but he can’t really rebut any of what she’s saying. That leads to a climax that leaves the 21th century itself in flux as we head to the penultimate issue. I get why a lot of people aren’t vibing with this comic, which is easily one of the most metaphysical King books yet, but it’s fascinating to see him use the Black Label format to explore these deeper issues.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
