New truths come to light.
Creative Staff:
Story: Marguerite Bennett
Art: Sandy Jarrell
Colors: Kelly Fitzpatrick
What They Say:
Supergirl and Stargirl question their new role with the allied forces. But a sudden attack by an army of undead Tenebrae soon has their attention.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
DC Comics Bombshells series has a whole lot going on, but when it slows down it can do some really magical stuff. With a lot of characters introduced and basic origins set, some more than others, the opportunity to expand and explore is most definitely there. This issue lets us dig back into the characters of Kara and Kortni while giving them Mera to play off against, which to their Russian origins certainly makes for a difficult pairing in some ways. The interplay of cultures has long been a big plot point in comics when used well and this one, while not digging deep, certainly works it well enough.
With the trio now back in London for the time being, giving the ship that they’ve been traveling on a chance to do some repairs and resupplying, there’s a charming moment at the start where we see how Mera uses her abilities and her trident to entertain the troops with the tales of what they’ve done. It’s something that works well to highlight once again just how at ease Mera is with seemingly everyone, and it also serves to show that Kara’s a bit of a stick in the mud. As she notes at one point to Mera, it was bound to happen that at least one superhero was going to have a sense of humor and be outgoing like this. Wait till she gets a load of Harley. The dynamic between the trio is certainly interesting and I like that Mera is just simply inquisitive with everyone and wants to know more about everything.
Where this installment surprises is in that we get some pretty deep backstory as Kara and Kortni’s mother talks to them of the past. With the sisters wanting to rescue their father, their mother reveals that he’s not truly Kortni’s father, but rather that she was produced with the union of an English lord that was in the country at the time back in 1923, which resulted in the pregnancy that had her exiled to the countryside. This has a great little nod towards Swamp Thing and others of that nature that watched over her, but also works to reveal Kortni’s real name as Courtney, all while reinforcing her adoptive father as a Starman that helped to build the staff. It ties a lot of things together but also makes it painful for Kara who now realizes that her sister has lost two father’s. It’s a kind of roundabout bonding session for the two of them, to realize that they really only have each other to depend on when it comes to the state of the world, but it works to humanize both of them and give them each more emotional weight.
In Summary:
Bombshells is light on the action this time around and that continues to be a non-issue for me. There’s so much fun material to be had with this cast of characters and what they do and their connections to each other that an installment of dialogue and minor backstory exposition hits its own sweet spot. Getting to know their stories more and how they connect makes it a lot more engaging and fun as the stakes right and we see more of what’s in store for them. Bennett hits all the right notes here for the girls, especially Mera, while Jarrell does a solid job with the artwork. While not my favorite of the Bombshells artists, he has some really solid style and it definitely fits the era well. I thoroughly liked the flashbacks sequence and how that was styled as it gave it an even “old-timier” feeling that was spot on.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: December 24th, 2015
MSRP: $0.99
