The Supernatural Team, with the help of The Flash, breaks free of their nightmare visions and commence a rescue mission to save Swamp Thing from Doctor Destiny.
Positive
Let’s start with the art. Mikel Janin continually amazes me with the perfect blending of realistic and sublime that a book like JLD needs. The details in characters such as Swamp Thing and Doctor Destiny are breathtaking. Doctor Destiny looks like a credible threat instead of a laughable Skeletor. But it isn’t just the character designs. The double page spread on the title page, of the city with the monsters is simply stunning. I want that in a frame on my wall!
Jeff Lemire and his protégé, Ray Fawkes, have a mastery of these darker, lesser known characters. What is really impressive is how they present these characters in a way that does not confuse or intimidate new readers, but makes long-time readers giggle with delight. Doctor Destiny has a history that dates back to the early sixties, but he is not presented in a way that newer readers need to jump on Wikipedia or read a whole libraries worth of Back issues to understand.
Negative
Although he was useful once he showed up, the way Flash was brought in seemed a little forced. He just happened to be running through that city, at that time, and saw some monsters. In other books, clumsy storytelling like that works great, but Lemire should be better. There was also the scene where Constantine was complaining that the others helped, and then Xanadu suggested just leaving him behind. It felt out of place for all characters involved. One more thing—a residual from the last issue—where is Black Orchid?
Verdict-
The story itself, continued from the last issue, is fun, captivating, and chilling at times. This issue shows a certain level of insight into the psyches of all the characters, that worked. A lot of the time this method drags on too long—over several issues. Here it was a quick peak, before they snapped out of it with a flash. There are signs of the upcoming TRINITY WAR crossover as well. The reveal at the end had me anxious for more. Xanadu has some ‘splaining to do!
