Review: Mother Panic #7 - Mobile Edition

DC Comics
Review: Mother Panic #7
By Philip Schweier
May 24, 2017 - 04:48

DC Comics
Writer(s): Jody Houser
Artist(s): John Paul Leon
Colourist(s): Dave Stewart
Letterer(s): John Workman
Cover Artist(s): John Paul Leon; Tommy Lee Edwards
$3.99

Gotham’s newest crime fighter may have a problem, as her cybernetic modifications may be failing her. Meanwhile, an ugly assassin has targeted the family of someone Violet saved, and that hits a little too close to home for her liking.

And in the continuing back-up feature, “Radio Gotham,” the daughter of the Odd Man has enlisted a one-time criminal to assist in the murder investigation of her talk radio host Danny Ruby.

I appreciate that both stories are set in Gotham City, thereby grounding them in a firm locale. And it makes me wonder how long before Batman shows up (when sales need a bit of a push, I’m guessing). But I like the notion of Gotham City – or Metropolis, or Krypton – becoming as much a “character” within the DCU as the people who live there. Unfortunately, anthology comics set within a comic book publisher’s universe almost never sell well, not without capes and masks involved.

John Paul Leon provides the art for the latest issue. His work is very much in tune with that of Shawn Crystal and Tommy Lee Edwards. It’s not a copy, but it’s similar in style to maintain a consistent visual sensibility. Phil Hester and Ande Parks, who illustrate “Gotham Radio,” are as formidable as ever. They are the rare team in comics that are far more than the sum of their parts, much like Adams & Giordano, or Swan and Anderson.