Take a breather
Some fun in the Fortress before Kara, Clark and Bruce hit Metropolis. Also, Darkseid's introduction as the villain of the arc.
What we have here is a comic that slows things down a bit. When you compare it to the first episode in this series (I am talking about the Supergirl series in particular, not the whole Superman/Batman arc) this one moves relatively slowly. However, that is no reason to knock it. If all the episodes were completely action filled and homogenous by the end of the road you would be out of breath, frustrated, and in dire need of a siesta. No, I am grateful for works like this one which slow things down a bit, give you a little back story, a little character development and introduce you to some new characters.
Going with the whole tone of a slower, character-based rather than action-based issue we start off in the Fortress, where Loeb does some more stellar writing. The interior monologue of Supes and Bats is so well done you just have to bow in respect. He knows these characters so well- and you see it in their interior vs. exterior monologue. Loeb writes them so well that what they are thinking vs. what they actually say to each further reveals more about each of them as well as their relationship, and why this particular pairing of foils works so well. Superman's unbridled optimism comes out again, tempered by Bat's hearty helping of skepticism. Kara continues to be appropriately innocent, though her strong-willed Kryptonian nature comes out in her relationship to Batman. This is where I actually enjoyed this issue perhaps more than the previous one- Batman was glossed over in #8, here we get a lot more of him. His conversation with Kara in the fortress is wonderful, it gives you plenty of backstory for Kara and Batman's deductive, skeptical nature is spot-on.
Now, that is not to say that all this talking is not broken up by some action. One of the best moments in the entire comic comes when we get to Apokolips. Remember how Turner's sharp, dirty, noir, realist, gritty style was so well suited to portraying Gotham? Well, naturally, his Apokolips is all it should be. It is an infernal place, truly the hell it was always meant to be. His Granny Goodness is just disgusting, reminiscent of what the Cryptkeeper's mother must have looked like. We will see a lot more of Turner's Apokolips thank heavens. This brief introduction was just enough to give you a sense of just how dark, violent and unforgiving that place is, such a contrast to the clean, bright, homey-yet-sterile look of the Fortress. Placing these two locales right next to each other in the narrative really drives home just how different they are, another move well played by Loeb.
Speaking of the contrast- you really see just how much range Turner has. We mentioned that his style is sketchbook- you would expect that style wouldn't jive with the crystalline perfection of the Fortress- no dice. His sharp edges translate perfectly into his rendition of Supe's hideaway, giving the whole place this majestic, grandiose yet comfortable feel (his color palate is not totally dominated by whites and blues, which would be a bit too sterile for a home away from home).
Perhaps the coolest part, in this reviewer's opinion, is when Clark and Kara are strolling around Metropolis while Bruce is tailing them. Turner's Bruce Wayne is absolutely perfect, down to the last detail. My only beef with this issue is that you do not see enough of him- he only gets two frames, but they are awesome.
Overall- a nice, slow, character-based comic interspersed with vignettes of action that reads well. Nothing spectacular or life-changing here, but the art is wonderful and the characters interact well.