Writer: Marguerite Bennett
Penciller/Inker: Sandy Jarrell
Colorist: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Cover Artist: Jarrell and Fitzpatrick
Editors: Kristy Quinn and Jessica Chen
Wow, a single issue review, who would've guessed I still do those? I'm sorry if this one doesn't feel as substantial as the other reviews I've done for the Bombshells issues, but since #6 appears to be a breather before the next ongoing arc, I decided to save numbers 7 and 8 for another dual article.
But hey, look who the artist is! None other than Sandy Jarrell, who was only recently featured on here for his dancing Legionnaire couples' artwork!
And don't fret, because Dawnstar is in this issue. And so is Supergirl. And a lot of other characters who haven't appeared before. The cover is definite indicator of how big the cast of heroines has grown by this point in the line and I. Am. LOVING IT.
This issue is told with a narrative style that sort of, I'm not sure what the term is, but it flows from the last word or action connecting it to the following segment.
The opening pages bring us to a rainy night in Spain. Batwoman (Kate Kane) is pitching baseballs at a stained glass window done in the likeness of dictator Black Adam while someone is singing about a harsh wind capable of bringing mountains down and kings to their knees. Are we getting foreshadowing that Adam's reign is coming to end? Don't answer that, the 7th issue will. We don't even see Kate's face as she lobs another ball towards the window...
So apparently she's also dating Oliver Queen (usually known as Green Arrow) in this universe as well, and it just goes to show he's a freaking tool no matter what universe he's in. Of course I like how even Marguerite shows us that Oliver isn't good enough for Dinah with a certain group wondering why he doesn't just take her last name already. Said group turns out to be...
The Suicide Squad! Consisting of Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Enchantress (June Moone), Ravager (Rose Wilson), Killer Croc, and Frankie Charles. Looks like Amanda Waller's hoping to recruit the Canary, but she mentions that she's not the only hero in town...
Outside, teen wiz Karen Breecher's found the lost baseball, but her friends warn her that their parents don't want them going near the kitchen. Karen assures them she's got this and tells her friends to go back to the baseball diamond. And once she's alone...
Really glad Karen's getting more focus in the DCU after disappearing following the end of Giffen's Doom Patrol run.
Karen's little rhyme leads into a chant and the scenery cuts to Kyoto, Japan. A wardrobe, a photo of two young girls, and a sword unsheathed builds up to the debut of Katana. Whether this is Tatsu Yamashiro or someone else isn't revealed just yet, although she mentions something about the spirit of her sister, and a young girl's ghostly reflection appears in the blade.
We then cut to a four panel page briefly recapping where some of the other preexisting characters are, including:
Oh and look!
Dawnstar's back, being Ms. Exposition as she tends to be. Floating in space, Dawny muses on how the Wonder Girls have changed the course of this world's history, and now there are mounting forces planning to make a move on Earth. She sees an image of some herald of an invader: of some purple light beam or comet flying through space, most likely to Earth. And behind it is a green light. Is this Starfire and her sister Blackfire, or is this a Lantern Corps thing?
We revisit the Wonder Girls in Los Angeles, and they've spotted the purple light in the sky about to hit. Okay, yeah, it's a Lantern thing, because inside the plane is Carol Ferris and Hal Jordan.
Hal's regaling Carol with his holiday misadventure waaay back in the previous series where he got punched in the face by Harley Quinn. And then WHAM! The purple light bursts through the windshield, and when Hal can see again...
And that is now the second time Hal Jordan has been punched unconscious in this series, which is good because Hal's an ass. But instead of him becoming Green Lantern, the green light bounces off the plane as it makes a sudden turn and descends downward, and now we get to meet...
Below, Jessica Cruz and her sister Sara are discussing Jessica's return to the LA police force after some undisclosed incident forced her to take some time off. And it seems Jessica's still antsy about something. As Jessica finishes explaining she's ready to go back to work, the Cruz sisters see the green light in the sky as it crashes in the woods. Jessica's instincts overcome her anxiety and she heads straight for the crash, asking if anyone needs assistance.
We then get another four panel page, but these are characters who haven't appeared yet!
AAAAAHHHH!!!! JESSE QUICK AND PLATINUM AND CASSANDRA CAIN AS BLACK BAT!!!!!
And oh my God Starfire is a firefighter that is adorable.
Dawnstar's narrating that these heroes have to unite, and then it cuts to Wonder Woman, back in action after her resurrection in the previous issue.
And it looks like these heroes really are gonna have to unite soon...
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The Story: This was a breather/filler/world expanding issue and I am all FOR that kind of bidness. It gets me pumped up for what comes afterwards and the potential usage of the characters coming later. This wasn't a super metaphorical story like the last few issues were, other than the discussion of the characters coming together.
The Art: If I wasn't sold on Sandy Jarrell's artwork before I am now, and I'm gonna start brainstorming on commission and con sketch ideas for the future whenever I get to meet him. He's ve got a kind of blend of Mike Allred and Cliff Chiang going on and it really fits the era the story's taking place in.
Trivia:
- I think "The Kitchen" is supposed to be a reference to a Vertigo miniseries of the same name, if only because the sign and the logo are so similar.
- Frankie Charles is another supporting character from the New 52 Batgirl era, but the "Batgirl of Burnside" half. For a brief while it looked like they were going to make her the new Oracle.
- Marguerite Bennett's going back to the days when the Star Sapphire was an alien entity that brainwashed and controlled Carol Ferris, rather than a member of the all-female violet equivalent of the Green Lantern Corps....(which is because Geoff Johns apparently thought most men aren't worthy enough to wield the power of love (Screw off, Johns)... which also brainwashed villainesses and claimed that their horrible actions were because of "A lack of love."
- Jessica Cruz in the main DCU is a recovering agoraphobic who spent years locked in her apartment after witnessing a murder while on a hunting trip with her friends. She was credited as Earth's first female Green Lantern... which is technically true only because Jade of Infinity Inc. doesn't exist anymore in the DCU. Thanks to Barry Allen.
- Black Bat is the name Cass Cain took on following her passing of the Batgirl mantle to Stephanie Brown. Although she only used the name for like six months because DC then got rid of her post-Flashpoint and tried their best to pretend she never existed. After she finally WAS brought back, she started using her father's old codename, Orphan. Yikes.
- The cover is an homage to All-Star Comics #16 by Frank Harry.
And here I thought name of the bar where Black Canary sings is a reference to the song,"Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah"?
ReplyDeleteI can tell you don't like Dinah or Oliver, and it clouds your review of this issue. You said "and it just goes to show he's a freaking tool no matter what universe he's in. Of course I like how even Marguerite shows us that Oliver isn't good enough for Dinah with a certain group wondering why he doesn't just take her last name already."
ReplyDeleteOliver's sitting at the bar watching Dinah sing, how exactly does that make him a tool? As for not taking her last name, she's not saying he's not good enough for Dinah, it's the gender twist on the old idea that a when a couple has been together for awhile why hasn't the man put a ring on the woman's finger. It's absolutely not saying he isn't good enough for her. Would she have his name tattooedon her arm if he wasn't good enough for her?
Since you don't like the two characters, why didn't you just mention their appearance and move on? That's what you did for the existing characters that just had one panel each.
Try reviewing a comic without your bias showing.
Trivia: The Kitchen is Dinah's club as in "someone's in the kitchen with Dinah". Jade wasn't Earth's first female GL, she was the daughter of the Golden Age GL and her powers were part of her, not from a ring.