welcome to the jungle
In Brief: With a little drama Superman, Batman and WW enlist the help of Barda to rescue Kara from Darkseid. Then its off to see the wizard.
Part four of the Supergirl saga, this is where things begin in earnest. Up to now, while the story has been interesting and diverse, it has all been a prelude- rising action to the narrative climax. In this issue, when the team steps through that Boom Tube onto Apokolips you get the sense that we are finally coming to some definite conclusions, and the effort in getting to this issue has been well worth it. By the time we get to Apokolips we are invested, interested and ready for the payoffs to come.
The writing: The best part is before the team gets to Apokolips, actually. While the action sequences are written well (they move quickly, they keep you interested, they are motivated, nothing gratuitous or extraneous) I find the sequences where the world's greatest heroes are arguing pretty dang fascinating. How do you argue with Superman? Well, if you are Batman, or Wonder Woman, you find a way and Jeph Loeb makes it compelling. There is tension here, conflict, and enough unresolved issues that the careful reader is interested to see how they are going to get resolved WHILE fighting off Apokolips (Wonder Woman and Bats seem concerned about Superman's angst over how they ended up in this situation). It is that kind of subtext (tension among the team members while all this action is going on) that makes the writing in this issue great- because all that follows was set up with this dissension in the ranks, it is all more meaningful. Just wait, you'll see what I am talking about soon- as soon as loyalties are tested.
The art: Michael Turner was born to draw Apokolips. That style mentioned in earlier reviews is PERFECTLY suited to expressing just how infernal Apokolips is. Thanks to the sharp yet dirty pencil work, dark color palate and dynamic action sequences (Barda and Wonder Woman vs. The Female Furies is absolutely incredible- the motion is perfect, the panel editing makes the sequence flow like a movie) everything about this environment seems dangerous, hellish and unpredictable- like I said, a perfect Apokolips. Turner's 'evil Kara' is chilling, his Darkseid is imposing and thoroughly evil (in other portrayals you start to wonder how someone so short and slow could ever challenge Superman- but thanks to Turner's portrayal you get to see how Darkseid could be a physical threat). I just cannot say enough good things about the art in this issue- every panel is perfect. Turner has captured the essence of Apokolips, the characters and the situation. I can honestly liken it to a well-made film, the world he creates is that engrossing and immersive.
The star of the show? BATMAN. Barda, Superman, Wonder Woman, Kara, they are all superhuman (though in different degrees). They seem a bit more at-home on Apokolips. They are on even playing ground with the environment that they are in. Batman? Not so lucky. Even with the mother box and some of Scott's toys he is out of place and outnumbered. Dont believe me? Look at the art. Notice how Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman are all drawn larger- at least on par with the humans or what-have-you that they are fighting. Every frame with them in it they are larger or at least as-large as their enemies. Look at Batman's frames- it is the exact opposite. He seems dwarfed by Apokolips, a tiny speck. He gets to fight the demon dogs- these monsterous canines the size of a house (a large house). And yet... he comes through! He finds Darkseid's weakness! You see the exact reason that Batman can hang with these superhumans. Not just hang- you see why he often wins against beings 'superior' to himself. So cool.
Overall: buy it for the Apokolips art, buy it for Batman.