Justice League #17
Writers: Geoff Johns
Artists: Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert, Joe Prado, Sean Parsons, and Rod Reis
Cover Artists: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, and Rod Reis
Publisher: DC
So ends the “Throne of Atlantis,” and while the issue had some problems, it was an overall satisfying end to the crossover event. The most glaring problem with this issue was the way in which Johns handled the aftermath of the war. Vulko, the man who started the war and is the cause of thousands of deaths, was not imprisoned. However, Orm is imprisoned, after surrendering, while not actually having done anything wrong. Admittedly, he killed people, however, that was a direct response to a perceived attack by the U.S. (which, again, Vulko was responsible for). The battle itself seems almost like it ended too abruptly. The mastermind, Vulko, gives up without contest, and Orm the supposed “villain” of the arc just gives up, even though he has an army at his back. That all aside, for most people the final scene is the most important of the entire issue, where Batman decides that the Justice League needs to open up their ranks. Ivan Reis does an outstanding job with this issue. His illustrations look amazing, and that is only enhanced with the inks and gorgeous, vibrant colors. 4/5
Nightwing #17
Writers: Kyle Higgins
Artists: Juan Jose Ryp, Roger Bonet, and Brett Smith
Cover Artists: Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, and Rod Reis
Publisher: DC
Dick Grayson has always been one of the more poised heroes. He’s good in stressful situations, he handles losses better than most, and he’s reliably an example of emotional stability. All that being said, everyone has their breaking point, and in this case that point was when Joker destroyed Haly’s Circus. Higgins does a great job with this issue, handling Dick’s reaction to his whole life crumbling because of Joker. Also, his pacing of the issue as it slowly escalates to the scene where Dick finally breaks was especially well done. Having Damian come in at the end was the cherry on the top for this fantastic issue. It’s interesting to note, given Damian’s relationship with most characters, that Damian is the most calm, childish, and caring when he’s interacting with Dick. The art for this issue was a tad inconsistent. There were pages that looked stunning followed by pages that were rather difficult to look at. Nonetheless, as far as aftermaths go, this was an excellent example of how to do it right. 4.5/5
Red Hood and the Outlaws #17
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artists: Ardian Syaf, Robson Rocha, Ken Lashley, Wayne Faucher, and Blond
Cover Artists: Mico Suayan and Blond
Publisher: DC
When the question arose as to whether or not Joker knew the Bat-Family’s identities, this series (especially issue #0) became rather important. In that issue, Joker, through Lobdell, implied that he orchestrated Jason Todd becoming Robin, implying he knew Bruce Wayne was Batman. While that issue was never discredited, it would seem that the team of Bat writers have chosen to ignore it. Which brings up a great scene in this issue, where Jason asks Batman if it were possible that Joker did create him. What works so well about that scene, is that for the most part it sums up Jason as a character. He’s one of the most skilled people in the world, he’s got anger issues, but at the end of the day he’s sort of just looking for approval. The scene with Jason and Damian was also great, in that it laid out just how similar the two of them are. The art in this issue was gorgeous. From the pencils, to the inks, to the colors, the entire issue was a pleasure to look at making the entire issue a much better read. 4.5/5
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Arnab Pradhan
arnab@comicattack.net
