Synopsis: Many years ago, during the early days of Batman’s tenure as Gotham’s Dark Knight, he trained alongside Green Arrow and Black Canary, learning the combat skills that have served them throughout their careers as crime-fighters. But there was another heroic hopeful in their ranks—a mysterious man known only as Prion—who suffered a tragic fate that still weighs upon the trio. Now, face-to-face with a young girl who goes by the same code name, they find the sins of their past coming back to haunt them.
The Story
Picking the story up from where the last issue left off, we learn that Black Canary had accidentally killed Prion. This issue opens with a flashback showing us exactly what happened.
Prion had joined Batman, Black Canary and Green Arrow as they were about to form a new crime-fighting team. While testing the team’s new costumes, designed by Batman, Canary accidentally strikes Prion with a punch during a sparring session. Due to a rare medical condition, Prion suffers a fatal heart attack. However, he manages to make his final words count for something.
Back in the present day, Black Canary, Green Arrow and Batman continue their mission to rescue Aribella, Prion’s daughter, who has been turned into an assassin by the same mysterious criminal organisation that Prion escaped from years earlier. After convincing Aribella that her father’s death was a tragic accident, Canary is able to take her into protective custody.
While Green Arrow and Black Canary escort Aribella to safety, Batman heads to Wildcat’s old gym, which is engulfed in flames. Upon arriving, he encounters Aribella’s grandmother, who is still under the criminal organisation’s control. Trusting his instincts, Batman uses Prion’s final words to break the organisation’s hold over her. His next mission is to find the leader of this shadowy organisation and bring it down.
Artwork
Mikel Janín continues to deliver solid artwork throughout this issue. The early scenes of Black Canary sparring with Prion, where we get our first look at the costumes Batman designed and the team’s new logo, are particularly well drawn and provide a really cool “what if?” moment. Equally enjoyable are the panels in which Aribella, Green Arrow and Canary board the Batplane and fly to safety. The level of detail in the cockpit really helps sell the scene.
The standout moment, however, comes when Aribella’s grandmother is finally freed from the hypnotic state she has been trapped in for the past ten years. The expression on her face as she looks at her own hands for the first time in a decade is beautifully conveyed and makes for the issue’s most powerful visual.
Overall
This is a solid issue that continues to build on the story while leaving readers with an intriguing mystery still to be solved. Who is really pulling the strings behind this criminal organisation, and what is their ultimate endgame? It’s a strong hook that leaves me looking forward to the next issue.
- Covers10
- Story9.8
- Artwork10
- Lettering9.4
- Colours10
I’d like to see them do a similar storyline to Paul Cornell’s book Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? Like the Joker dies and then all these copycat crimes start happening and it’s revealed that the Joker’s spirit is controlling people.