By: Justin Jordan (story), Jesus Merino, Norm Rapmund, Rob Hunter (art) Nathan Eyring (colors)
The Story: Seven extraordinary individuals gathered to save the world from itself—maybe.
The Review: In a lot of ways, comics are a lot like television; you’re always looking for the newest addiction, whether it be a critical darling (Arrested Development), a pop hit (Friends), or a project that works as both (Seinfield). I don’t pick up every new title I see, but I like looking in each one that comes out, hoping to find the next big thing. On that level, I really appreciate DC’s “waves” of new titles. There’s always a chance a great series is around the corner.
The first thing I usually look at in a new title is the rhythm and style of the writing, well before I consider the story’s actual merits. Blame it on my English major or some quirk in my personality, but I can’t stand artificial, hacky dialogue or narration. It just reeks of a writer who’s trying too hard or a little too obsessed with his idea of how his story should sound. Jordan makes good on his DC debut thanks to some carefully constructed, if not exactly inspired, writing. Given the genre he’s dealing with, he could easily have gone overboard in trying to make the script “edgy,” but he keeps the tone centered, which wears well on the characters.
Consider a line from Alex Fairchild: “Hey, I got a kid that wants to be a doctor. I want her to be a doctor. You pay me enough, I’ll run and gun for whoever you want.” It has that nice balance of humor, substance, and naturalness, and you’ll be amazed how many writers—how many veteran writers—never learn to reach that balance.
That said, these personable moments tend to be the exception rather than the rule in this issue. With eight primary cast members, this title has to divvy up its focus on a pretty sizable group, so not everyone can have a big, defining moment right out the gate. You won’t come away from this debut in love with any one character. On the other hand, Jordan doesn’t just define each member’s role on the team; he does manage to carve out the outlines of their personalities, giving you a clear hint of what their future chemistry will be like.
Obviously, the idea of a covert special ops gang with a mission to save the world without superheroic help is nothing new. The connections to Suicide Squad are obvious, given Amanda Waller’s presence on both teams. You also have echoes of the sadly shut down Blackhawks in how Team Seven operates with as little metahuman help as possible. This title may have the leg up on both series, however. The team is split between legit agents and mercenaries, rather than outright villains, and they include some gratefully recognizable names.
Merino delivers solid work as dependably as ever, the very example of DC’s school of art: less polished and more aware of its artifice than Marvel, but open and inclusive. In fact, you can see in Merino’s work traces of the style and tone made famous by George Pérez all the way back in eighties. The only problem is, and this could just as easily be due to Eyring’s coloring, the issue looks a bit too cheerful and bright for an espionage thriller. It makes you less inclined to take it seriously.
Conclusion: Would I say Team Seven is a breakout powerhouse? Decidedly no. But it does have enough going for it to potentially grow into a sleeper hit.
Grade: B
– Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: – Lucky Jordan; he gets to be the guy who tells the story of how Deathstroke loses his eye.
– We must be real early in Slade’s career and scruples, because at this point, he considers “some debts matter than money…”
Grade
Conclusion