Spreading to the winds to prepare for what’s next.
Creative Staff:
Story: Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing
Art: Brian Ching
Colors: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
In five days, Luthor will bring war to the Garage—so the gang rides out to collect an army.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Gotham City Garage really hit its stride in the last few issues for me both in story and art while still having oh so much to explore and work with in expanding our knowledge of this world. Kelly and Lanzing are having fun playing with the characters that inhabit this incarnation of our favorites and I really dug what they did with Batman in showing how the Garage was handling him before leading into Luthor and his larger plans to handle all of them. This issue brings back Brian Ching for art duties after working the first couple of issues and it’s definitely interesting. I really dug his approach to the dome when he got things underway and we’ve had a range of strong artistic takes since that have gone in other directions. This is once again very distinctive but I’m waffling in how I feel about it as part of me feels like it’s moved beyond this while still loving it.
Having the Batman hanging by the rafters in chains, the gang knows that it’s just a matter of time before a full-on assault comes. What’s helping at the moment is Natasha’s device that keeps the Gardners from getting in here and overwhelming them. So what do they face instead? Luthor’s reprogramming average citizens and throwing them in low-rent Batman suits to storm the place, which the group is able to crack heads with easily. That’s not making them overconfident as they know it’s only a matter of time before things get really serious. Right now it’s just attempting to wear them down a little by raising tensions and uncertainty. And it works, too, especially with Batman chiming in about how it’s going to change soon and Diana talking about the need for them all to get out of there and start elsewhere, which doesn’t fly with most of them.
That sets up to different things to happen from here. The first is that the group is splitting up to go and find Katana and Banshee, who haven’t been heard from in a bit, and that means going to other locations that will expand our view of the world. A split isn’t the best idea but a necessary one that I’m looking forward to. The other is that we’re basically left with Barbara and Natasha in the Garage as Luthor sends one of his “superpowered freaks” to try and unnerve them with the Flash. This doesn’t dig into who is under the suit but it’s a thrilling sequence with Natasha trying to take him down and realizing what he’s capable of. It’s made all the more stark thanks to Ching’s design of the costume which looks like it’s out of a horror film more than anything else. It’s a little unclear of why the whole thing doesn’t progress further but at the moment it’s just a great tension setting moment.
In Summary:
Gotham City Garage is moving into its next phase as the expansion of the world as we know it is about to hit with the group sent to three different areas, two for finding missing members and Kara going to another in order to train to a new level. There’s a lot of good character bits in here as I really like this interpretation of Diana and I’m thoroughly enjoying what Barbara brings to things as a part of the group. Natasha’s also getting a lot more attention and that’s something I’m thrilled about as the character always seems to get lost in the mix of the mainstream books while making out decently in the alternate world ones. I’m definitely excited to see Brian Ching back on the book as his designs have such a raw energy about them and that’s ideal for a character like the Flash with what we get of him here. Add in a chance to work on Wonder Woman in this incarnation as well and it’s all good, even if it feels like the book has moved past these designs a bit with what other artists have brought to the page in recent issues.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: November 22nd, 2017
MSRP: $0.99
