Storytime, kids!
Creative Staff:
Story: Tom Taylor
Art: Cian Tormey
Colors: Rain Beredo
Letterer: Wes Abbott
What They Say:
Flashback to the 1940s in Egypt with Hawkman and Hawkgirl on one of their archeology expeditions as they discover a mysterious amulet that possesses Shiera’s body…what will it take for Hawkman to save her? That is, if it’s not too late…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With a lot of good setup and basic reminders of where we are in the grand scope of the Injustice universe, Tom Taylor manages the first two issues well and put things into motion. With this installment, it’s all flashback material that takes a little time to get going but plays with great characters and opens up things for the future. It’s also a change installment as Cian Tormey steps in on the artwork duties for this one and it has a strong and distinctive look to it that I really like, especially with Carter and Shiera. The linework is a bit heavier and there’s a good angular aspect that connects for me, especially with Rain Beredo’s color design providing consistency across the run in general. It’s one that feels like it works to highlight the different time as well.
This one opens with Chavard at one of the Joker’s safehouses where he’s setting up for “story time” about what this powerful weapon is. It’s an amusing sequence watching the Joker manage his goons and deal with the problematic ones and I actually like that he’s interested in the story element to this because it just makes the potential for a powerful weapon all the more interesting for him in a way. While there can be a simplicity to his mindset, there’s the theatrics aspect as well and with this one going back to not just World War II but millennia earlier, it’s going to tickle him in all the right ways. Going back to the last days of Hitler, opening with him shooting himself, and then going back a bit further 1942 in Egypt puts all the right pieces in play. Giving us a story with Carter and Shiera? Ah, two of my absolute favorites no matter the time and place they exist.
Having the pair of them exploring a dig definitely works well and fits with the period as they’re looking for something that’s older than the pharaoh Khufu. That they come across as massive metal door gets them beyond excited but it’s just unleashing a terror within. Believing it to be the remains of someone with the iconography of Apophis, the Egyptian god of chaos, it ends up speaking only to Shiera and gets her to don its helm, giving it power over her. It’s clear that this was put here to be lost forever and even Carter is wary of looking at it long, but this frees what was locked within and it turns into chaos out in the world as, donning his own costume to save her, they spill into the second fight of El Alamein. This eventually has Shiera free but as we see, the totem/gem that Apophis is acting through has found itself in German hands that is about to lead to a lot more death.
In Summary:
As the flashback story gets underway to flesh out this weapon that Chavard knows of and to give us some time with the JSA of this world, we also get some fun with the Joker at first. Even Harley is a bit subdued here but I love how he handled his flunkies and their own twisted personalities before allowing Charvard to get on with his tale. I like the period and setting we’re getting into and opening up with Carter and Shiera just hits a sweet spot for me. After feeling the loss of the Bombshells series for so long and stories from this era that can work their own special magic, I’m very curious to see what Taylor has in store and hoping for more of it to be told by Tormey.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology | Amazon
Release Date: August 4th, 2020
MSRP: $0.99
