BATGIRL AND THE BIRDS OF PREY #17/ Written by JULIE BENSON & SHAWNA BENSON/ Art by ROGE ANTONIO/ Colors by MARCELO MAIOLO/ Letters by DEZI SIENTY/ Published by DC COMICS
Reviewed by MATT MORRISON
A mysterious plague threatens the lives of every man in Gotham City. The Birds of Prey have united the city’s female heroes (and a few of its villains) to help them deal with the crisis, but can all their cunning thwart the plans of The Daughters of Gotham and their leader, Patient Zero? The Benson Sisters spin a great story here and they capture the voices of all the characters involved fairly well, though some of them don’t get much in the way of screen time. The artwork, unfortunately, continues to be horrendous. Roge Antonio draws all the fight scenes in tiny little boxes and the colors of Marcelo Maiolo leave all of the Caucasian heroines as pale as Harley Quinn. The whole book looks cramped and washed out thanks to a palette that is far too heavy on reds and oranges. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Yanick Paquette needs to be drawing this book instead of just doing the covers.
DETECTIVE COMICS #970/ Written by JAMES TYNION IV/ Pencils by JOE BENNETT/ Inks by SALVADOR REGLO, RICARDO JAIME & MARCIO LOERZER/ Colors by JASON WRIGHT/ Letters by SAL CIPRIANO/ Published by DC COMICS
Reviewed by MATT MORRISON
As Tim Drake initiates his plans to build a better team of crime-fighters for Gotham City, so do the city’s criminals step up their game to counter the new army of “Knights” protecting the city. Meanwhile, Basil Karlo considers the possibility of a cure for his condition as the sinister Victim’s Syndicate make their next move against the city’s vigilantes. Much of this issue seems to be devoted toward housekeeping and reminding the regular readers about the current status quo of the series’ many subplots. This proves necessary, as James Tynion IV has revived virtually every classic Bat-Family member in this series and added in a few more besides! Thankfully, he handles all the characters well and it is a joy to see them all interact. Unfortunately, the artwork is a muddy mess, with three inkers killing any chance at a uniform look and Joe Bennett’s take on Clayface looking nothing like the character we’ve seen in earlier issues.
TITANS #18/ Written by DAN ABNETT/ Pencils by BRETT BOOTH/ Inks by NORM RAPMUND/ Colors by ANDREW DALHOUSE/ Letters by TRAVIS LANHAM/ Published by DC COMICS
Reviewed by MATT MORRISON
Wally West is dead and the Titans are close to defeat as Donna Troy faces her greatest fear… Troia, a twisted future version of herself who has abandoned her humanity. Now she seeks to drive Donna down the dark path that forged her by killing Donna’s friends. Can Donna win the day with a little help from her friends or will they all die as Titans Together? The final chapter of The Rise of Troia is a serviceable conclusion but not a particularly exciting one. Dan Abnett continues to have trouble balancing the large cast of characters and while he does write them properly, it still seems like he is struggling to give everyone a moment in the spotlight. The artwork is largely competent, though Brett Booth still has an unfortunate tendency to force poses and draw characters with expressions that don’t make sense in the context of the scene. The finishes are nicely applied, however, and the colors are suitably eye-catching.
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Kabooooom! 