Damn, Taylor is really turning up the heat.
This issue basically takes the "team" a few steps backyard after it managed at least to hold its position over the last few issues. Although Alan returns in a pretty awesomely dramatic way, saving Hawkgirl and Red Arrow from parademons, the team is forced to flee the Batcave for Themyscria when Superman sends Darkseid's forces its way. In fact, by the end of the issue, we don't even have a team. ("Don't split the party!") We have Batman leading a crazed Dr. Fate, a scared Val, and a possibly dead Red Arrow on one side (with support from Sandman and Sato), and Green Lantern convincing Hawkgirl to stay by his side on the other one. Both Batman and Green Lantern claim to have plans, but we're not privy to them yet. Plus, Taylor is creating a vibe of overconfidence when it comes to the two of them, so it seems like their plans aren't likely to work when revealed. It doesn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence that they're going to be able to come together to defeat Darkseid.
In the meantime, Clark brings Lois to visit his oddly nonchalant parents in Smallville. This entire interlude is intentionally bizarre, leaving it still unclear whether we're dealing with the real Clark or, for that matter, the real Kents. Curiouser and curiouser.
Overall, Taylor continues to really get the pace right on this series. After Robinson's break-neck, world-building race, Taylor's more cautious pace is welcome, even if he's still hardly giving the heroes time to rest before the next calamity. We still have a lot of questions on the table -- like how Superman is still alive, for example -- but we seem to be getting there. In the meantime, I actually feel like we're starting to get to know the characters, something that Robinson was forced to abandon at times to advance the plot. You could just feel Batman and Green Lantern's instant dislike of one another. Great stuff.
*** (three of five stars)
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