Action and reaction.
Black Canary and the Gotham
resistance take the spotlight in this equal parts poignant reflection and preemptive action issue.
For some time now, Gordon has been assembling a resistance
alongside his daughter and they take their first strike.
But it is Dinah and her growing bond with Harley that takes
the cake here.
The artwork is divided thanks to the now biweekly schedule
as Bruce Redondo takes the first half while Mike Millar and Tom Derenick take
the second. But it flows nicely with few glitches and it’s commendable how the
three worked to make this consistent in the artwork department.
And as for the plot, Tom may be the best right now at
juggling classic and touching moments with the dark elseworlds storyline. He
gets the characters so intimately despite the width and breadth of the DC
universe.
SPOILERS FOLLOW………………
As the Gotham resistance
starts to gather momentum, Black Canary aka Dinah Lance pays one last visit to
Oliver Queen’s arrow cave.
Where she finds a comfortably snug Harley Quinn with Green
Arrow’s kit.
All hell breaks loose as Canary attacks Harley (and vice versa, 'combustible bunny slipers', lol!) though it’s a
great anticlimactic setup as it is revealed that Dinah’s pregnancy is hampering
her movement, resulting in one of the best moments of the DC Universe for me in
recent memory.
Harley hands over a bucket as Dinah vomits into it and then
after an awkward pause, we realize that Dinah and Harley have more in common
than meets the eye in this universe.
Apparently, Harleen had a daughter with the Joker that she
sent away to live with her sister so that she could have a normal life.
The beautifully crafted blend of abuse from her Mr J and her refusal to accept that she did what she did so that Joker couldn't scar his own daughter is so well put by Taylor that anyone would immediately both be warmed towards the character, yet somewhat ambivalent over her actions.
The beautifully crafted blend of abuse from her Mr J and her refusal to accept that she did what she did so that Joker couldn't scar his own daughter is so well put by Taylor that anyone would immediately both be warmed towards the character, yet somewhat ambivalent over her actions.
There are so many nice moments here inter-spaced with
different shades of humor that it’s impossible to describe it in a few words.
With both their significant others dead at the hands of one
man, Harleen begs to be able to help end his despotic rule.
Meanwhile, Guy Gardner has managed to reach Oa, where he
learns that Earth has been hidden from the Guardians’ sight. Though it is a nice showing of Sinestro’s power, I don’t
understand the purpose of this act. Earth isn’t like Mogo that it can be moved
from it’s position and as the Guardians already know where Earth is, this
action feels redundant.
Some Sinistro Corpsmen managed to get the drop on Guy but he
fought them off, and recounts whatever happened on Earth. The Guardians decide against any rash action that may
backfire, even as Guy protests that it may be too late then.
In Gotham, the resistance
starts their plan as three of the superhuman soldiers of Superman’s army are
captured to be interrogated.
It's nice to see the full cast of the Birds of Prey and Gotham's finest work together to bring Gotham back to the people. Especially the ending with Gordon goes beyond words as we see Jim Gordon, a man on death row try to bring a semblance of normalcy to a city that he's sworn to protect.
SPOILERS END………………
With some great handling of a diverse cast, and balancing of
different shades, Tom provides another glimpse into the minds of people caught
in a nightmare.
The artwork is excellent, and consistent despite three
artists working on it. The faces all tell a tale as they vary from angry to sad
to contemplative.
So, I give it 9.5 out of 10.
+Some excellent interplay between Harley and Dinah
+The humor is top class
+Artwork is consistent
+Nice balancing of a diverse cast
-An action by a villain feels redundant
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