The quiet before the winter storm!
Creative Staff:
Story: Marguerite Bennett
Art: Richard Ortiz
Colors: J. Nanjan
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
Superman, Supergirl and Powergirl join Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy’s circus. Raven and Lois Lane realize they have more in common than their age. This moment is very much the calm before the storm as the Nazis enlist mythical creatures into their command.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With Bombshells angling in on a hundred issues in the next couple of months, this book continues to impress. Marguerite Bennett may frustrate to some degree in that we may not get the characters we want at any given time but considering she’s essentially writing the whole alternate world DC Universe in one book that’s just going to happen. She’s joined in this installment by Richard Ortiz on the art and he once again delivers a very good looking work, especially with the variety of locales, playing up the right kind of sensuality about the characters, but drawing attention very much to the words and their meaning – and the impact on others that are hearing them. It’s easy for the book to fall into sexual aspects, they are bombshells after all, but the series has long figured out how to do it without being exploitive.
With the second part of this mini arc, Bombshells has a bit of an interlude piece going on and that’s always welcome. As much as I like action and big, sweeping moments, I also like just hanging with the characters and knowing them more. Hugo Strange gets a good nod here as he deals with the loss of so much of his work but that pales next to the ramifications from Killer Frost. While she’s massing her forces to come to Leningrad itself, she’s also making it clear to him that he’s screwed up so badly that she who will not be named is going to have to be informed. This gives us a chance to note that the Joker’s Daughter is out of the picture as is Paula at this point, tied to Wonder Woman and all, and that reinforces a bigger bad out there known only as the General. I have no clue who it could be but I’m excited to see how this part will play out.
The bulk of the book focuses on a few different things that really make me like the characters even more. While Harley makes terrible puns, we see more of the softer side of Superman when he helps some kids get some apples from a high branch. It’s the way Ivy gives him a knowing look about how he’s hurting the tree by bending it that just makes it adorable, especially his blushed and slightly ashamed aspect for not thinking. A lot of what we get is some solid dialogue between Lois and Raven about a few different topics, including what Lois was doing with Reaper and what she stopped her from doing, and that turns a bit into the hunt Raven is on to find Trigon and figure out what’s really going on with him. It’s good character material but I just love the way Ortiz brings it to life with them enjoying the calm of the orchard that Ivy created, soaking up the sun and taking some time to just breathe.
In Summary:
Bombshells does what I like once again in giving us an issue where there’s some room to breathe and take in what’s gone on before, how the characters are coping with it, and setting the stage for what’s to come. Marguerite Bennett is definitely delivering some really good material here with what this series can do and it’s just been a delight over the course of its run so far. This issue also makes out wonderfully with Richard Ortiz returning on the art duties and getting to just focus on the cast hanging out rather than overly involved action sequences and other craziness. In some ways these kinds of scenes are harder but the payoff is even better. Just the sequences of Lois and Raven together on the slope brings about so much with the design and layout that it elevates a simple dialogue piece to something far more engaging. A very enjoyable issue once again.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: March 31st, 2017
MSRP: $0.99
