Forced to do the right thing.
Creative Staff:
Story: Jody Houser
Art: Tommy Lee Edwards
Colors: Tommy Lee Edwards
Letterer: John Workman
What They Say:
Mother Panic is hot on the trail of the murderous artist Gala! Only one person stands in her way…Batwoman?! Is there a place for Violet among the heroes of Gotham City, or will her quest for vengeance take her down a darker path? This issue also features an original “Gotham Radio” back-up feature by Jim Krueger (JUSTICE) and Phil Hester (GREEN ARROW)!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With a bit of a gap between issues of about six weeks, it’s something that can be hard to maintain the momentum for when a monthly title is already a little bit tough in some ways. That said, when you get such solid quality as we do here from Jody Houser and Tommy Lee Edwards, well, you don’t mind it at all and it provides for an opportunity to re-read previous issues. Mother Panic is slowly but surely pushing itself further into the overall continuity in its own way while still being a largely standalone book, something that I hope for as Violet’s particular traits are things that will be lost to some degree in the mainstream books. At the same time I’m glad we’re getting crossover elements from those main books with Batman and Batwoman while the remain true to character as opposed to being made harder edged.
What this issue focuses on are a couple of things that blend together well. As is often the case, little happens in Gotham in a sense that Batman is unaware of. That builds him up to mythic proportions that are problematic but it’s a core element of the character for many years now. Seeing him and Batwoman working to get a handle on this new player in the city, one that he knows is putting down roots based on her modus operandi so far, means that they need more information. That plays out with Batwoman coming up to her on the rooftop and looking for conversation, albeit while being on a natural defense. It may resort to a typical back and forth fight but it at least starts right and it feels totally natural with how Violet has been portrayed as she just sees the involvement of these others are obstacles on her path toward her goals and she wants to not even be on the field with them. It’s a fantastically illustrated sequence that’s totally worth the price of admission, however.
With her mission still in place but feeling off now that she couldn’t follow through with Helmsley, she’s now making her next move that actually takes her into Gala’s presence. Which, based on what we’ve seen so far, definitely makes her a disturbing villain with the way she creates her art. There’s a kind of uncertainty about this encounter that’s intriguing but it works to push Violet onto the right path, grudgingly, as Gala finishes off her “project” and sets it ablaze, which will kills the kids that are there. It’s something that instinctively she knows she has to deal with but she wants to go after Gala but is unable to. It’s a standard heros conflict moment we’ve seen time and again but it works well here as we know that Violet isn’t a traditional hero. It serves as good way to make her realize she has to deal with the fallout of situations but she also gets to try and turn it against Batwoman and the others by allowing it to happen. She’s being drawn into the web but I hope she’ll be at the fringes and stake out her own claim.
In Summary:
Mother Panic is certainly delighting me still and this installment just further cements it as I continue to prefer the “edges” of Gotham based series. The inclusion of Batman and Batwoman is well done as it’s not a dominating piece but an understandable and necessary one to fit into the area as a whole. The focus on Violet is what makes it all work as we dig into her past more in seeing how things went down with the tragic backstory and what her brother Victor did and it’s all useful and important. But the present day material has a really great sense of intensity about it both in the writing and the fantastic artwork that really drives it forward in a hugely engaging way. This is a book that I foolishly wish was weekly or that I had a couple years worth of material to discover and just binge the hell out of it. It’s that good.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: 17+
Released By: DC Comics/Young Animal via ComiXology
Release Date: February 15th, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
