DC Crimes of Passion #1: Something For Everybody

Batman in “More than Maybe”
Steve Orlando – Writer
Greg Smallwood – Art & Colors
Clem Robins – Letters

Review by Mike Eakins

Bruce’s dilemma has always been how to separate his heart and his taste for delivering brutal justice, and in More Than Maybe we see this first-hand. We’re so used to seeing Bruce in situations that see him dive into his psyche and battle with his emotions on so many levels; be it dealing bad guys or his current love interest, and maybe the battles are the same for him on some level. Bruce will never step away from being Batman, even if it means forgoing happiness. Bruce Wayne is Batman, and Batman is Bruce Wayne. The team of Steve Orlando, Greg Smallwood, and Clem Robins do a miraculous job of capturing Bruce in the very element that drives him. More Than Maybe is a classic tale ripped from the pages of Turner Classic Movies and in eight pages you get love, pain, emotion, and heartfelt goodbyes, in a sense…you get Batman.

Wildcat in “Pulling Punches”
Stephanie Phillips – Writer
Riley Rossmo – Artist
Jordie Bellaire – Colors
Troy Peteri – Letters

Review by Kenneth Bowden

Stephanie Philips and Riley Rossmo offer up a killer 1-2 punch combo with this puppy. Ted Grant the heavyweight champion and beloved hero Wildcat gets a run for his money when upstart Clarence “Thunderfist” Baylor throws down with him for a special Valentine’s Day bout. Unfortunately not all is as it seems as Baylor is trapped in a situation not too different from the crooked circumstances that created Wildcat in the first place. This leads to a swift and energetic team up to take out some mob goombas in order to rescue Baylor’s woman being held hostage. While the bombastic art is an absolute treat and of course the short story fits in perfectly with the anthology’s team, the standout here is how airtight Stephanie Philips portrayal of Wildcat is in such a small space to do it in. Wildcat’s gruff yet humorous inner dialogue is perfection, the superhero of the sweet science hasn’t been written this well in quite sometime (like early 2000s Darwin Cooke/Ed Brubaker on Catwoman or B.Clay Moore JSA Classified, so yeah it’s been a minute). Long story short, this is exactly what you want when you need a quick fix of Wildcat.

Pied Piper in “Secret Admirer”
Sam Johns & James Tynion IV – Writers
Gleb Melnikov – Artist
Luis Guerrero – Colors
ANDworld Design – Letters

Review by Gabriel DeJesus

Secret Admirer is a story about seduction. On my first read, I didn’t realize this until the end. The story felt bogged down by the back story of Roman Richard, charming billionaire and collector of ‘hero rejectamenta”. On my second read, everything took on a different light, sometimes literally. Roman’s story isn’t about Roman at all. As he talks about his freedom from morality, it is merely a means to tempt the reformed Pied Piper. Even the ominous coloring, green glow of Hartley’s first pipe as he stares down on it, is geared towards this seduction. It led to a level of nuance I didn’t expect from an eight-page story.

Green Arrow & Black Canary in “The Crimson Bomber”
Phillip Kennedy Johnson – Writer
Paul Fry – Pencils
Mark Farmer – Inks
Jeromy Cox – Colors
Clem Robins – Letters

Review by Jimmy Hayes

In The Crimson Bomber, writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson gives us a really great Black Canary and Green Arrow story. It’s a secret romantic comedy in disguise as a straight-forward superhero story. Johnson has the characterization of Arrow and Canary down, and there’s loads of playful banter between the two. It’s so great to see them work as a team. Oliver wants to charge in head first, but Canary’s able to get him to take a step back and assess the situation so they don’t end up doing more damage than help. Artists Paul Fry and Mark Farmer do a great job here, giving the story a superhero look and feel. There’s a lot of emotion in this story, and they enhance the emotion with the environment around them. I couldn’t write this review without mentioning Jeromy Cox’s colors. They play a huge part in this story and he does an excellent job. And let’s get the whole creative team in here by mentioning that Clem Robins lays down some pretty cool letters in this story. This is a sweet, charming, romantic, feel-good, exciting Green Arrow and Black Canary tale. I’m sure that you’re gonna love it as much as I did.

Plastic Man in “The Prettiest Thing”
Sina Grace – Writer
Mike Norton – Artist
HI-FI – Colors
Troy Peteri – Letters

Review by Kevin Rossi

“The Prettiest Thing” hits all the stops for a classic noir: a dimly lit cocktail bar, a private eye-like monologue, an old flame, a heist, and a long goodbye. These aren’t things that I would expect in a Plastic Man comic. I always go into anything with Plastic Man excited. Even if the story isn’t very good, then I’d at least have a few chuckles from Plastic Man. “The Prettiest Thing” is simply a good story and it makes it that much better that it’s Plastic Man. Not only do we get some hilarious moments and lines, but we also see a different side of Plastic Man. He is done making the same mistakes over and over, but he does it one last time to help an old flame. Plastic Man really shows he’s maturing when he says goodbye to her in front of a waiting plane like it’s straight out of Casablanca. He lets her go as he rushes to cover her long enough for the plane to take off.  She looks below and says, “You showed me, Eel, that if you can change … then so can I.” Here’s looking at you, Plastic Man.

Batwoman in “Out of the Past”
Jordan Clark – Writer
Kieran McKeown – Pencils
Dexter Vines – Inks
Adriano Lucas – Colors
Steve Wands – Letters

Review by Cody White

“Out of the Past” revisits one of the most tragic lost loves in the DC Universe. Kate Kane and Maggie Sawyer should have been a love for the ages until a series of unfortunate events tore them apart. “Out of the Past” reunites the two on a case in Metropolis as Nocturna resurfaces and begins killing but the wounds of past love keeps Kate and Maggie on edge. Clark does an amazing job in this short story by capturing the violence and grace that embody Kate Kane. The tension between the two characters is palpable and ends with a stunning ray of hope for longtime readers as possible reconciliation seems within Kate and Maggie’s future.

The sharp writing is accompanied by equally stunning artwork that helps to ensure the reader can feel the emotions that each character cycles through and the always stellar Steve Wands on letters makes this story sing.

Slam Bradley in “One Last Dance”
Mat Groom – Writer
Anthony Spay – Pencils
Jason Paz & Wade von Grawbadger – Inks
Arif Prianto – Colors
Steve Wands – Letters

Review by John Jack

A noirish tale of romance by Mat Groom, this Slam Bradley story smacks of Bogart. In a bid to bring down Nightjar Bradley compromises more than his heart. A fantastic story. The line art by Anthony Spay and Jason Paz (inks) pulls no punches (ha, cuz punching!) in a excellently choreographed action sequence and a splash page contains some stellar color work from Arif Prianto. I thought Batman looked great although I dislike that every Slam story in recent years needs a Batman cameo. I thought the title page was noteworthy as well, feeling almost Steranko-esque. I’m not sure if the title work was Spay or letterer Steve Wands but kudos regardless.

Nightwing & Batgirl in “(K)night Falls in Blüdhaven”
Jay Baruchel – Writer
Andie Tong – Artist
Steve Oliff – Colors
ANDworld Design – Letters

Review by Nicholas Osborn

In the short story featuring Nightwing and Batgirl, we catch up to each of them after a particularly rough fallout. They’ve each moved on but haven’t forgotten one another in the least. Writer Jay Baruchel plays with these lingering dynamics in an interesting way, tugging at the sometimes indescribable tension that keeps people engaging with one another. The problem is, the story takes place in a void. Batgirl’s recent exploits with Jason Bard aren’t mentioned at all, even though she’s confronted her feelings for Dick in her ongoing series.

While the continuity issues aren’t drastic, it is unfortunate that the story is so inconsequential. It doesn’t take these characters somewhere meaningful, but it does highlight something unique between them that deserves to be explored more. With some fantastic artwork from Andie Tong and Steve Oliff, and solid letters from ANDworld Design, the visuals pack a punch even when the emotional beats don’t land quite as hard as they could.

Fans of Dick and Babs get just a small taste of what it would be like to see a reunion, and while something deeper would have been nice, this story is still enjoyable for what it is.

Catwoman in “Can’t Buy Me Love”
Liz Erickson – Writer
Abel – Artist
John Kalisz – Colors
Tom Napolitano – Letters

Review by Brian Arbizo

Selina Kyle, like a good cat, ends up on top on Valentine’s Day. In a story about the thin line between love and hate, Catwoman finds a way to get her jewels, her money, and end up on top. Writer Liz Erickson gets the essence of Selina– who she is. When a writer is able to connect to a character it really comes out in the story. I would love to see more of Liz.

Abel did an outstanding job on the art work. To me it represented what I want to see in a Catwoman story. Overall, the writing, the artwork, and the lettering all provided a perfect Catwoman story.

The Question in “Reflections of the Heart”
Ram V – Writer
John Paul Leon – Art & Colors
ANDworld Design – Letters

Review by Matt Meyer

The Question, DC’s foremost philosopher, occasionally Randian, faceless street-level superguy is chasing a killer on Valentine’s Day. This murderer has killed two high-ranking mobsters and is on his way to a third… and only the Question can stop him. But will he?

Writer Ram V and chronically underrated master artist John Paul Leon present a tale of secrets and revenge, narrated by the Question to Hub City as though he were speaking to an errant lover. It’s an interesting choice to say the least. Hub City becomes less a locale and more a character in the story as the Question makes his way toward his quarry. The technique works to flesh out a sense of duality in an otherwise straightforward tale, providing depth where otherwise there might be none.

Until the end, at least: when readers discover the tragic truth behind the murders, it subverts typical revenge-drama expectations and adds a whole new layer to the narrative. Ram V deserves to be applauded for his bold move here. Leon, for his part, actually stages the first page to echo the opening sequence of Watchmen, a clever nod consider Rorschach was based on the Question. But it’s not just the art but the whole story that works, deceptively simple but haunting once finished. The arch narration may feel stiff, but it’s also pure Question through and through.