Batman: Curse of the White Knight #3
Publisher: DC Black Label
Writer: Sean Murphy
Artist: Sean Murphy
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters: AndWorld Design
Cover: Sean Murphy & Matt Hollingsworth
The third issue of Murphy’s re-imagining of Gotham and the Batman mythos has plenty of twists as things seem to falling into place but for all the wrong people. This is where the story shines the most as Murphy continues to keep us on the edge of our seats with the secret regarding the Wayne family that Joker is hiding. He’s also writing a pretty compelling and interesting Azrael who makes his presence felt in a huge way this issue. As always, Murphy’s art keeps you immersed in the story but it’s Hollingsworth’s colors that add the extra kick and put these panels over the top. Especially during the Azrael sequence. That was a perfect series of panels that got the exclamation point from AndWorld Design. Whenever a character says their name with enough force to where the logo appears you know it’s about to go down. 4/5
Flash #79
Publisher: DC
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Rafa Sandoval
Colors: Arif Prianto
Inks: Jordi Tarragona
Letters: Steve Wands
Cover: Rafa Sandoval, Arif Prianto, & Tomeu Morey
Death and the Speed Force continues as Barry is still trying to keep the other Forces alive while Black Flash is attempting to kill them off in an attempt to heal the Speed Force. There’s plenty going on here and Williamson juggles it all pretty well. However, the subplot involving the Rogues, specifically Lisa Snart, seemed to stand out more than the main. I’d like to attribute it to how well Williamson has been handling Lisa’s character along with The Rogues getting some very cool upgrades courtesy of Lex Luthor. Her time here is short but quite significant and hopefully the payoff is just as good in the end. As far as Barry is concerned, he’s still lying for the sake of the “greater good” and it’s actually getting kind of old now. It’s still great to see how his mind works in other areas especially when it comes to fixing this dilemma with the Speed Force. Let’s hope things pick up soon. Sandoval, Tarragona, and Prianto’s artwork is the highlight in every panel and helps to carry the story even when it’s slowing down a bit. 3/5
Harleen #1
Publisher: DC Black Label
Writer: Stjepan Šejić
Artist: Stjepan Šejić
Letters: Gabriela Downie
Cover: Stjepan Šejić
Just when Harley’s presence was beginning to become a bit overbearing (at least to me) here comes DC with another title featuring the character. However, this one would be told by Stjepan Šejić. A storyteller that I’ve come to expect great things from over the years. And seeing how much effort he put into her character with his various comic strips when not working for DC I had to give him a shot here. Let’s just say that I wasn’t disappointed as he began to lay out the origin story of Dr. Harleen Quinzel. This is a must have for those of you who are die hard fans of Harley who want a layered origin that matters. Sejic’s narrative gets to the heart of the character and his world building while his artwork takes it all to the next level. 4.5/5
Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net
