Written by Mark Henely
The second issue in a series is always very difficult to review. When reviewing a first issue, the critic is allowed to evaluate the world of the story, the strength of the main characters, and the general concept of the story as whole. With a second issue, the reviewer has to move past that. If the first issue was bad, the critic must decide if the second issue has redeemed the story or if the first story was a sign of what is to come. If the first issue is good (as DK3 #1 was), the critic must decide if the second one has followed up on the promise of the first.
All of this gets increasingly more complicated with a maxi-series because in their nature, they allow stories to be told of a great number of issues that still have a solid endpoint. Often, the second issue of a maxi-series is just more set up. That is what this issue is. Writers Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello have hooked readers with the first issue and are now starting to explore the world around their characters. But, because this is still the beginning, nothing gets resolved in this issue. Readers looking for definitive answers to the questions posed in the first issue will still have to wait.
There are some very strong moments in this issue, but most of them are based around the poetry of writers rather than the action sequences. There is a story that Carrie Kelley tells about Bruce Wayne that is hearbreaking and there is a piece of narration about the bottle city of Kandor that is beautiful in a weird Sci-Fi sort of way. The main action sequence is rendered in a very compelling manor, but the sequence feels a little too much like scenes Batman fans have already seen before in the Christopher Nolan trilogy. The ending of the sequence is also incredibly goofy.
The best part of this comic is the back-up story about Wonder Woman and her daughter. The relationship between the two feels very real, even though the story revolves entirely around the two characters super powers. Wonder Woman struggles to gain the respect from a daughter who feels she has outgrown the need to learn from her mother. The back up story feels universally truthful and is well worth reading.
7.5 Stars out of 10
***Mark Henely is a stand up comedian, podcaster, and comic book fan. He went to Rutgers University where he officially studied English Literature and unofficially studied Marvel and DC Comics. Now he has a podcast where he reviews the first appearances of Comic Book characters. It is called “Introducing… The First Appearance Podcast” and you can check it out on iTunes and Stitcher. https://soundcloud.com/first-appearanceYou can also follow Mark on Twitter @MarkHenely***
