Judgement Day.
Taylor
wastes no times in getting to the crux of the story, even as he takes time to
flesh out the major protagonists and their relationship.
The artwork is a little inconsistent, as it verges from
great to passable pretty frequently, but overall, this is a solid second entry
to Year Three.
SPOILERS FOLLOW……………
We first meet up with Superman and Sinestro, the latter of
whom has managed to drag one of the Resistance to the destroyed Hall of
Justice.
And we see in how far Superman has fallen in his treatment
of their prisoner. He first asserts his superiority and then subtly threatens
the prisoner’s family in exchange for information on the missing Leaguers.
Sinestro would be so proud, though the interrogation is to
no avail.
Back at the Hall of Justice, we meet up with one of the
missing Leaguers as a restrained Flash is helpless while Zatanna takes Harley
to Jason Blood’s home – one of the last bastions of refuge from Superman’s
gaze.
I count John Constantine, Zatanna, Jason Blood, Detective
Chimp, Klarion the Witch Boy (with his familiar Teeki the cat), Batman,
Catwoman, Alfred, Batwoman, Huntress, Renee Montoya and Harvey Bullock as the
residents there.
It’s an unusual group Taylor
has put together here, and I can assume that Dr Fate isn’t there as he’s
guarding the Tower while the rest are not exactly taking sides (Enchantress? Shade?
Phantom Stranger? Pandora?). Raven is with the enemy faction.
Harley takes an immediate liking to Constantine, who decides
to address the guests and convey their mission – topple Superman’s regime.
Feeling out of his elements, Harvey decides to leave but Detective Chimp,
to whom he’s taken particular offence, takes him out of it.
Sadly, the door has been opened and something has got in.
Jason Blood’s attempts to close the door and call his alter ego, Etrigan the
demon, fails when he is killed mid-sentence. The backlash also kills Harvey and injures Chimp.
It is the Spectre.
Etrigan, in hell, feels the passing on his human host and
regrets that this means his stay in hell is permanent.
Batman attempts to establish a route of escape, but Constantine is peeved
that he thinks that a cellar is going to hide them from one of God’s agents. A
verbal attack is followed by Constantine
getting knocked down by Bruce, reminiscent of the way Guy Gardner was put down
and the ‘One Punch’ quote started.
Now riled up, Batman confronts the stranger over the death
of a ‘good’ man – Harvey Bullock. While they argue, Zatanna manages to
transport those inside to the Tower.
Flabbergasted, the Spectre tries to force Batman to reveal
where the rest of his comrades are – but Zatanna manages to transport him as
well.
Constantine
finally reveals that this was his game plan all along – push Bruce until he
decides to act like Batman again, as he is needed even more now.
I love Constantine-Batman pairing as both represent opposite
sides of the same coin – though bound by an underlying bond for justice.
Why the Spectre decided to attack the Resistance is still
unexplained, as Jason’s association with Etrigan is past history without any
threat before. I think he may be on Superman’s side here given his thirst for
vengeance being fulfilled by the death of the Joker at his hands (and the
innocent deaths were collateral damage).
Though that doesn’t explain why Sinestro and Hal get the
free pass – though using someone like the Spectre means arbitrary deaths
according to plot needs. Not sure including him was the right call.
SPOILERS END………………
There are some interesting character interplays here, not to
mention some welcome new faces.
Taylor
includes some nice moments and keeps the story moving at a more settled pace
than before, balancing calm and frenzy well.
Redondo and Millar take charge of artwork duties, and both
has some great and not-so-good moments.
So, I give it 8.5 out of 10.
+A great cast
+Some nice character interplay
+Perfect balance of action and calm
-A certain antagonist may not work too well in the long run
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