Where’s Black Jack when we need him.
Creative Staff:
Story: Tom Taylor
Art: Bruno Redondo, Juan Albarran
Colors: Rex Lokus
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
An old ally is brought out of self-imposed isolation to try and save the life of Superboy.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
When the Injustice franchise takes to a quieter installment I often find them to be more enjoyable. While the series has a range of great artists, and the team of Redondo and Albarran are among my favorites, there’s something to be said for when it just focuses on character drama and making that engaging as it can be an even greater challenge. What helps is a solid writer like Tom Taylor who knows how to bring the right pieces together to make it work and give the art side exactly what it needs. This issue plays to the character side very well with just a minor touch of anger but it serves everything just right.
I’m admittedly surprised that it really was Batman at the hospital as everything felt like it was the Faux Batman doing something as part of a bigger plan but that’s why I enjoy what Tom does on this book in plotting and scripting it. With him killing Ted in this way it serves to bring him back to life by moving past one of his nine lives. It’s been an age since I read anything with Wildcast so I have little memory of this but I’ll run with it. What’s amusing is that Ted is just a tool for Batman at this stage and not the goal as he wants his knowledge of where Dr. Mid-Nite is more than anything else. That in itself is an amusing journey to a very dark part of the world that’s isolated as Mid-Nite has put himself into this position in order to disconnect from the world and all its trauma.
He’s in total hermit mode but Batman always has the motivation, though this one feels a bit wonky even for more. With Zod’s body on ice, the reveal that Batman wants to have Mid-Nite do a heart transplant with Superboy is just priceless. It’s the kind of loose and easy breezy concept that this series can run with that tickle the nostalgia of old for me growing reading pre-Crisis comics when you could just do some things without overthinking it. Mid-Nite does try to think of a few aspects of it but the fun of Harley being the nurse, insisting on a few “Stat!’s” being used to cover her own bad memories of assisting with heart surgery before is priceless. But there’s some dark times ahead in all of this as well with Connor being lied to about the fate of Tim and what it is that Batman really wants him in the game for.
In Summary:
While not a lull in the ongoing storyline this is one of those moments where things change a bit. With such a breadth of characters still alive amid all of the events since the start, Tom Taylor brings some welcome golden age characters into the game in a limited way while trying to get things in a better place for those in need. His methods are rough to be sure but it’s that kind of dogged intensity that’s part and parcel of the character where he’ll pay the consequences for it later. Redondo and Albarran again deliver a great looking book with some sweet smaller images, particularly the look of joy in Harley’s eyes in Mid-Nite’s goggles toward the end, that just makes it such a thrill to read.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: January 9th, 2018
MSRP: $0.99