Justice League Dark #7 Review
Written by James Tynion IV
Art by Alvaro Martinez Bueno
Inking by Raul Fernandez
Colouring by Brad Anderson
Lettering by Rob Leigh
Despite the terrible crossover that plagued this book a couple of months ago, I've been a big fan of this series. I was excited for Alvaro Martinez to return since he's one of the best artists currently working for DC, but this issue was just a mess. I can see what it was trying to do, but James Tynion's dialogue and plot was a slog to get through. I know things will get better based on the pedigree of this team, but I was severely disappointed by this issue.
Martinez Bueno and his team haven't been given much to work with, which dampens their return to the title. They haven't been on the book since October, so this is hardly the 'welcome back' I expected. Tynion frames this as a sort of horror anthology issue, which isn't a bad choice given the vast amount of classic DC horror characters that appear here. Tynion is constantly mentioning this war that's currently happening with the Otherkind, but none of the dark characters we see here are making any concerted effort to do anything about it. Hell, even the Upside Down Man shows up with nothing to do. He has an opportunity to kill or terrify a particular character and he does nothing. I struggle to see how the events of this issue relate to the Otherkind war, but maybe my lack of knowledge of the magic side of the DCU isn't helping me.
Rob Leigh's lettering was terrific, however. Tynion introduces some characters and places with a lot of mystique and classic horror comic-bravado, and Leigh's lettering reflects this in a way that made me smile.
This was a disappointing issue from a plotting standpoint. Tynion's experimentation simply didn't pan out, but the entire art team, from the penciller to the inker, did a fantastic job.
Art by Alvaro Martinez Bueno
Inking by Raul Fernandez
Colouring by Brad Anderson
Lettering by Rob Leigh
Despite the terrible crossover that plagued this book a couple of months ago, I've been a big fan of this series. I was excited for Alvaro Martinez to return since he's one of the best artists currently working for DC, but this issue was just a mess. I can see what it was trying to do, but James Tynion's dialogue and plot was a slog to get through. I know things will get better based on the pedigree of this team, but I was severely disappointed by this issue.
Martinez Bueno and his team haven't been given much to work with, which dampens their return to the title. They haven't been on the book since October, so this is hardly the 'welcome back' I expected. Tynion frames this as a sort of horror anthology issue, which isn't a bad choice given the vast amount of classic DC horror characters that appear here. Tynion is constantly mentioning this war that's currently happening with the Otherkind, but none of the dark characters we see here are making any concerted effort to do anything about it. Hell, even the Upside Down Man shows up with nothing to do. He has an opportunity to kill or terrify a particular character and he does nothing. I struggle to see how the events of this issue relate to the Otherkind war, but maybe my lack of knowledge of the magic side of the DCU isn't helping me.
Rob Leigh's lettering was terrific, however. Tynion introduces some characters and places with a lot of mystique and classic horror comic-bravado, and Leigh's lettering reflects this in a way that made me smile.
This was a disappointing issue from a plotting standpoint. Tynion's experimentation simply didn't pan out, but the entire art team, from the penciller to the inker, did a fantastic job.
A Look Inside
