Sometimes the choice is out of your hand.
Creative Staff:
Story: Marguerite Bennett
Art: Sandy Jarrell
Colors: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
Black Adam’s powers have grown over centuries. But Miri Marvel isn’t afraid to join the fight against him!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The penultimate chapter of this storyline hits here and Marguerite Bennett is able to capitalize on all that was built prior to it so that it has a strong emotional resonance with it. The power of this series is in the connections and emotions of the characters, often worn on their sleeves, and allowing it to come out in big and bold ways. It also doesn’t hurt that Sandy Jarrell is back on the book for a bit and we get an absolutely gorgeous issue that lets all of that emotion wash over their faces. Jarrell’s work with Kelly Fitzpatrick is among my favorite with this series as I really love his character designs and particularly his layouts and Fitzpatrick’s color work on this series brings out the best in all the artists, and Jarrell is no exception.
The end of this storyline was truly set the last time around with Isis making it clear that this is not what she wanted and timed with Jason coming to the realization that his existence will only bring pain to those who love him and himself as time goes on. That the two of them and the minotaur come to the idea of returning to the pit to end it all is the right kind of tragic moment but it’s infused with a lot of emotion even over the course of the entire installment here that it takes place in. It may be drawn out in some ways but it digs into the characters in order for it to happen. What it does is keep things slim when it comes to the three that are going in but it allows them to have some powerful visual moments as Jarrell gives Isis a truly commanding look about her while the innocence of Jason shines through beautifully.
There’s appeal in seeing how Talia leaps to take out Black Adam and as Cheetah does her best to help with the rifle she’s grabbed, and Adam’s anger and fury is beautifully presented here for maximum impact. But the bulk of it is focused on Kate as she relates the familiar tale told before of the red string and the various interpretations of it she’s been exposed to throughout her journey. The large splash page for it without dialogue is really nicely done and the flow of it through the quadrants infuses the story with some great emotion as she has to experience this loss again knowing she has to come to terms with the truth that this is the right thing to do for both her and Renee but also for Jason himself. The heartache is there and the different directions she’s pulled in with Renee and Maggie as well and I’m hopeful we’ll see her making some real decisions here soon.
In Summary:
This arc has had a couple of lulls to it but it’s largely delivered on giving us a good story focusing on Kate and Renee that deals with their past and how it haunts them. Everything comes to a head here and the fallout and movements in the next issue should be really fun to see how it all unfolds. Bennett’s able to really deliver on the feelings of these characters as it goes back a long way now with a lot of twists and turns and Sandy Jarrell brings it to the page beautifully with great designs filled with emotion. It’s a strong installment as I expect from this talented group working on the book and it’s something that just makes my day and something to look forward to each week in a big way.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: January 26th, 2017
MSRP: $0.99
