By: Justin Jordan (story), Julius Gopez & Jimbo Salgado (art), Nathan Eyring (colors)
The Story: This isn’t Zelda, Slade; big shiny gems aren’t always a good thing.
The Review: Sometimes, I just don’t get how the Big Two make their publishing and editing decisions. Granted, I’m no businessman, nor do I know the ins and outs of the comic book biz, and obviously there are a lot of politics that I have no awareness of, but the goal shouldn’t be that hard to grasp: produce the best story premises with the most suitable and talented creative teams possible. Settling for less only creates more problems in the long term.
Case in point: I would like to know who gave the green light for Team Seven to go to market when it is so clearly not ready for mass consumption. The book clearly has a good pitch—put a number of DC’s toughest non-powered heroes on one team and unleash them on some crazy missions—but from what I’ve read, it seems clear the series could have used a lot more time in the development tank before it could truly stand on its own.
Let me indulge in a little fantasy and pretend I’m one of the powers in charge of this book. My first move would probably be to tell Jordan to sit down for a week or so really getting a handle on the characters he’s writing. I made note of this last issue, but here it seems more apparent than ever that no one on Team Seven really stands out, nor do they have much of a clear group dynamic, nor do any of them have much personality you can really hold onto. One of the big red flags is how often they address each other by name, as if it’s the only way you can really tell their dialogue apart:
“This is not good, Lance.”
“Look on the bright side, Dinah…”
“You’re just a glass half full kind of guy, aren’t you, Cash.”
“It’s a gift, Bronson.”
You should know I’m quoting a string of conversation, so the name-dropping is very noticeable. Just as problematic is Jordan has done a poor job distinguishing even their basic power sets. Surely someone should have pointed out to him how dull it is to see all the characters confront a problem by shooting at it.
Another piece of unsolicited, hindsight advice: before you can use a loaded moniker like “the Heart of Hell,” you need to earn it. As “nervous” as Slade may feel on Sentinel Island, us readers have no reason to share that concern. The team arrives on the isle with most of their work done for them; Essence* proves to be nothing more than an information bank, guiding them to where they need to go next for story purposes; and the brief battle at the end of the issue has all the tension of a thread of hair caught in a pair of glasses: one forgettable snap and it’s all over. At best, Jordan delivers a cliffhanger that mildly touches your curiosity, but no more.
Finally, were I someone who had any say on the production of this series, I’d probably have insisted that it not be released until a far more skilled and eye-catching artist was found. Gopez-Salgado channel a bit of Phil Winslade in their work, which is a bad thing in this case, as Winslade’s style is clearly meant for a more old-fashioned kind of book. That kind of look only defeats what’s supposed to be a cutting-edge, action blockbuster, especially with Eyring’s erratic and bold colors. Nothing looks outright ugly, but it’s all so terribly, terribly bland and lifeless.
Conclusion: Unfortunately, I’m not in charge of this title because I would never have let it go out on the stands if I was. However, I am in charge of my pull list, and I am more than ready to Drop the series come next issue if things don’t drastically improve.
Grade: C-
– Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: * It’s laughable that the marketing people thought somehow emphasizing her association with the lackluster Red Hood and the Outlaws would draw people to the issue. If anything, the very mention of that title triggers my instinct to drop the issue immediately and head for the cashier.
Grade
Conclusion