A truly dangerous choice is made.
Creative Staff:
Story: Marguerite Bennett
Art: Mirka Andolfo
Colors: J. Nanjan
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
With the help from the real Raven, the Bombshells rise in an explosive battle against Joker’s Daughter and her spirit forces.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The penultimate installment of the Battle of Berlin arc arrives and as we get word at SDCC about some upcoming players in the series such as Vixen to excite us, we get a lot of great stuff here once again. It’s been interesting the last few days reading some of Marguerite Bennett’s talk of the idealized designs of the Bombshells and how, through Ant Lucia’s original designs, they were infused with so much more than just the actual curves and cuteness/sexiness. I’ve thoroughly loved the stories that she’s presented us with in this run and the characters themselves, pulling from great places within the mainstream and breathing a new angle of life within them. And I’ve thoroughly loved the crew that the editorial side has managed to draw in for the artwork, especially as we once again get Mirka Andolfo here. Each artist brings their something special to this and Andolfo is definitely one of my favorites that keeps me wishing she’d get a spinoff Bombshells book of her own to work with.
The Battle of Berlin arc has been a lot of fun since it’s drawn together a really great group of character and infused it with some neat elements, such as the music from the younger kids and the rich history of Miri’s family and all that’s associated with it. While the previous issue took a turn to dig into what was going on in Atlantis in order to bring that to the surface, it’s worked out well because the place is going to serve as a sanctuary for those that Miri rescued for the time being. There’s a lot to like in seeing the gang catching up and making some short term plans – Harley and Ivy have the right idea – as well as just the joys of these friends reconnecting by their sheer presence. With as big as the cast is in general and in this installment, Bennett finds time for almost all of them. Even Constantine and Zatanna get a couple of utterly wonderful panels that Andolfo uses to really make their relationship feel honest and earned.
Naturally, no sanctuary is complete without at least one more attempt at being torn away from those that needed it, so having Joker’s Daughter arrive with her troops for one big fight isn’t a surprise. It’s old school serialized fun in its own way and watching as Zatanna does her best to hold her off while the others help the survivors escape is engaging. Zatanna really stands out the best here as she leads and protects, taking the individual concerns while also making sure Raven doesn’t fall back into bad ways. I’ve loved Zee for years and Bennett’s take is a great way. What’s really interesting to watch is the fallout from the fight as they push back and win but are in that position where, heroes that they are, they don’t kill. While their solution to Joker’s Daughter is likely to come back and bite them at some point, Andolfo’s visuals with Nanjan’s color work here is simply powerful as they strip away what gives her the power over others that she has. There are some great pages toward the end here that really resonate well.
In Summary:
Reading this book over the weekend and getting the Wonder Woman theatrical trailer at the same time was definitely one of those moments where you feel like things are finally starting to happen in the right way, wishing it happened sooner, and having great hopes for the future. Bennett and her team have been cranking out some of the best books DC Comics has at the moment with this series and I’m quietly praying on a regular basis for an animated version in this style to come to life. This installment brings some closure to various subplots, sets us up for the arc finale the next time around, and reminds us of the immense stage that they have to work with. This is a very solid and engaging action installment with lots of great character moments, big and small, the deliver. Just like nearly every issue of this series has delivered on the the fun and engagement on so many levels.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: July 22nd, 2016
MSRP: $0.99
