Jenny Sparks #7: Be the Change You Want to See in the World

Jenny Sparks #7 concludes Tom King’s latest DC Black Label series, with a powerful message about today’s world: it is not enough to just say the world is messed up and hope that it will change, but we have to be willing to learn from our mistakes and grow, or else be doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over. Like most Tom King series, this one was a slow burn. Until this final issue, the reason for a lot of the events thus far were unclear, with this wrap-up tying everything together in a neat bow.

Jeff Spokes showcases a master class in visual storytelling in Jenny Sparks #7, as well as the whole series. Much of this comic book is dedicated to the small interactions between these characters, with Jenny playing mind games with Captain Atom just as much as he attempts to play the role of God. Because of this, the series rarely features the style of over-the-top comic book action that the comic book medium is known for. But that is almost the point here, and the reason that this book is featured under the DC Black Label banner. Most of the time DC Black Label points to books that feature heavy dialogue or violence; however, Jenny Sparks uses the publishing line to indicate that its themes are more mature and thus points it at a more mature audience. In this vein, Spokes is the perfect artist to depict the microexpressions in characters as they discuss their roles in the universe with one another.

This series got off to a rocky start in the eyes of comic readers, with a lot of people placing Tom King in unfavorable categories for discussing events like 9/11 after he was in the CIA. While many of those readers jumped quickly to conclusions and continue to do so, the actual subject matter here is not strictly about 9/11, but instead about the state of the world in the 21st century. King uses events like 9/11 to compare the 21st century to the 20th; however, he also uses other modern events, such as the Great Recession and the Covid-19 Pandemic to discuss the state of the world. This series directly showcases the mentality that exists within the everyday American that was mirrored by the real world killing of a Health Insurance CEO during the run’s publication. King is clearly out to discuss the state of the world and he does a fantastic job doing so. This all ties back to the core villainous escapades of Captain Atom, who much like Jenny Sparks, has refused to accept the world as it is today.

The core of the series jumps back to that theme that everyone who attended high school history should have learned: those who fail to learn from their past are doomed to repeat it. This book pushes that idea by showcasing a group of everyday individuals who showcase their sometimes life threatening, sometimes mundane life problems. The similarity between them all is that instead of taking responsibility for those problems and working to correct them, they look to a higher power to blame. Sometimes that higher power is God and sometimes it is just the local government. This reflects Jenny Sparks’ journey as well with almost every flashback throughout the issues showcasing her either acting or discussing an incident with someone who acknowledges the state of the world but has some excuse to not change themselves. Jenny Sparks learned that lesson of “be the change you want to see in the world” from all those experiences and then uses the series as a way to impart that wisdom on an individual with the powers of a God. This core storytelling and avenue for the series is very indicative of the mature way this story is told.