A word of power!
Creative Staff:
Story: Marguerite Bennett
Art: Mirka Andolfo
Colors: Wendy Broome
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
Led by Batwoman and Renee Montoya, the rebel group makes a run for it to the coast, but there they find themselves trapped and surrounded!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
DC Comics Bombshells kicked off The Battle of Berlin the last time around and delivered a pretty strong setup with what it wanted to do that was really well structured and illustrated by Sandy Jarrell. With Mirka Andolfo on board with this issue, always a favorite of mine, she carries through some of the structural aspects in a really good way here with the layered element to the different floors. It’s not something you see often and I have a goofy love it that takes me back decades in comics and role playing games that just makes me grin. Andolfo nails that look here and while some of the digital presentation aspects of it with the page flips may not be terribly smooth in some ways, it delivers a great look overall.
With the Nazi’s having arrived, aware of everything that was planned, it’s good to see how everything gets put into motion here as those in the ghetto have plans for both offense and defense. Batwoman has some fun taking the lead, I love her bat with a rocket propelled grenade inside, but she’s also protective in making sure Miriam gets the kids down below. Miriam’s story is one that surprised me as I didn’t expect it, though the foreshadowing is there, as she tries to keep the kids by telling them stories of important women from their shared history in order to distract them from the bombs. As it gets more and more intense and difficult, however, we see her begin her own transformation as she recites the names over and over in order to stay in control. It’s really nicely done as it works as both educational and engaging in the classic superhero origin sense, something that both Bennett and Andolfo capture well here.
Within this we also get some good movement with Raven as she’s struggling with all that’s going on now that the Joker’s Daughter has made such a strong play to take them out, even if there is an “offer’ for them to relocate to Poland. Raven’s been a bit up and down since she made her way into the recent story, but it’s here that we see her finally coming fully into her own and not going to just accept things as they are anymore, or to allow herself to be weak in the face of Joker’s Daughter. Considering their history and the kind of hold that she thinks she still has on Raven, it’s really great to see how she asserts herself and calls up all of her power to make it clear the bond has been broken. Raven’t always been a complicated character throughout the various incarnations I’ve seen her in and this one is no different, though just as fun to watch unfold.
In Summary:
Bombshells has another four installments in this arc and it’s set up a lot of good stuff already for it to work through. I love the reveal we get with Miriam as well as the stories she tells to calm both her and the other child, something that Mirka Andolfo brings to life well in the limited space she has to work with. Add in some good stuff with the different levels of events going on early on with how they’re portrayed and just some great fun with these characters in general and it’s enjoyable both through the artwork, coloring, and the writing. Lots of fun stuff here as we get more things put into motion for this arc.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: July 1st, 2016
MSRP: $0.99
