Creative Staff:
Story: Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing
Art: Brian Ching
Colors: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
Luthor’s assault begins, but where is Catwoman?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Though it’s felt like things have shifted too quickly to a big fight to happen in this series with the sides mostly clearly laid out, it’s done it in a way that’s at least fun and engaging. Kelly and Lanzing have brought out lots of good character stories while organizing the group that will come to the fight and that’s helped to expand the world and this iteration of these characters. This issue brings back Brian Ching on the art duties and it’s definitely interesting to see just how different his style is from everyone else, though he was the one that kicked it off in the first couple of issues and set the overall tone and design for it. The book has definitely taken on a life of its own as it’s progressed to make for an engaging work.
Knowing what’s coming, both us and the characters, the situation within the Garage is in that kind of quiet phase of the calm before the storm. Everyone that’s returned realizes that the others aren’t at this point, such as Dinah opting to stick with the League and Kendra being the only Blackhawk to come offer support. Add in that Harley and Catwoman are missing and the team is down a good bit before things even start. To make matters worse, Kara’s enthusiasm over what she learned while with Wonder Woman really rubs Barbara the wrong way as to her it seems like Kara is just wiping their father away, creating a new wedge between them. While that does get nudged to the side along the way to be dealt with later if they survive, it’s an interesting angle to play up and gives Barbara an angst that she might not have otherwise.
While we do get a nod toward what’s coming in seeing Luthor and his group cresting the dunes before the Garage, most of the issue is spent on the buildup. I do like the sense of things not going as well as they could and some of that is built on with Lois doing interviews with everyone, sort of as “how will they remember us?” piece that works if they win or if they lose. There’s some good bits in there, such as Jimmy getting brought formally into the mix, but I really dug the conversation that Lois had with Batman more than anything else. It has him make clear the reality from his point of view of what a long haul there is ahead and it certainly makes sense, that kind of true words being spoken thing. But there’s other elements in the mix that can shake it up, such as the admittance of Diana being well over a hundred years old and touching on how she’s seen so much and why she continues to fight.
In Summary:
With a lot of setup after bringing most of the gang together, Gotham City Garage hits the expected point before the big fight and throws a wicked curveball into the mix just at the end to make it very much worth coming back for more. A lot of what defines this book is just the variety of interactions, especially with how Lois prods the characters, and how they play and riff off each other. Brian Ching puts in another great book and I love how distinctive his take is and just how much the book has grown since his first issues as well. Every artist brings their own take on things and he’s definitely doing some fun stuff here with it once again.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: January 31st, 2018
MSRP: $0.99
