The Comedian is on the hunt for Ozymandias and Gotham City is in chaos. The Mime, The Marionette, and Batman are held hostage at the clutches of The Joker.
The world is bubbling up like a high pitched boiling pot, ready to blow at a moment’s notice as the supervillain and superhero communities question the conspiracies of the Superman Theory. As the search for Dr. Manhattan continues, what will each of the characters encounter along the way? Why is the Comedian looking for Ozymandias? Who is the Comedian taking orders from? What will the Marionette and Mime discover? And amongst all of the chaos what does the Joker have in store for everyone?
Geoff Johns has assembled an interesting set of events that are slowly shifting into place in ways that still leave people with as much answers as they are also left with questions. A lot of what John’s has been writing is much like a slow burn. Many readers of this series thus far definitely feel that John’s is building up character relationships that have been established previously in the last couple of issues while developing new relationships in this one. I think what is most shocking in this issue is the kind of chaos that ensues after The Mime, Marionette and a battered up Batman encounter while being held at gunpoint by the Joker and his henchmen. Much like the other issues, this issue gives a bit more background on the Marionette and The Mime this time around, focusing on their origin and all of the events that lead to their current state of being.
John’s does a great job at tying in the narrative of Marionette and the encounters that occur in this issue, reflecting off of the character and story both at the same time, like moving parts of a machine, each with a specific function and purpose that help to power the story forward. Without going into spoilers, there are some solid interactions and John’s handle of The Joker in this issue is nothing short of amazing. There are gonna be a ton of surprises in this issue which will have readers talking on the internet big time! It’s the kind of stuff that readers deserve to discover for themselves as to why the Joker is involved in things that leave everyone On a side note, it makes me wonder how the upcoming 3 Joker’s storyline will occur since it is separate from this series. Heck now that I think about it, It makes me wonder if Johns will have Punch and Jewel encounter The Marionette and The Mime at any point since Marionette and her partner are the Watchmen counterparts of Punch and Jewel (who were apart of the I Am Suicide story arc of Tom King’s Batman run).
Johns writing continues to change in a voice that doesn’t entirely feel like Johns. Obviously due to the nature of this comic and series, it is understandable since it deals with a lot of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons characters of the Watchmen, but seeing how they interact with the characters of the DC Universe and how the narrative undertones from Watchmen have now seeped into the characters of the DC Universe, gives the world a very different feel , providing a nice contrast between the bleakness and the colorful tints that continue to clash throughout the series. What really makes each issue shine, is the extra content such as the newspaper exposes, files, and documents that give context, exposition, and clues to the current state of the world as the book unravels, making this a great read and possibly providing food for thought in regards to the current state of events that occur in the world that readers inhabit.
In regards to the artwork in this book, Gary Frank continues to keep the top tier quality up with every page and panel! What is great is seeing how much Frank makes use of the 9-panel grid layout and making every little detail have visual significance, making each page fulfilling. Every line feels purposeful, never wasted at any time. It makes me wonder how many pages he may have scrapped during the illustrative process of this series. Because of his attention to detail, and his ability to showcase powerful visuals through careful panel choices is nothing short of amazing.
With that said I feel that although I really enjoyed this issue, truth be told I think this entire series will most likely be a better read when it comes out as a trade. I think what hurts the book a bit is the delays between issues, and given that there are upcoming series such as Tom King’s Heroes In Crisis, It might make it harder for readers to decide on whether to wait to get the Doomsday Clock in trade or not. Personally, I suggest to definitely wait to get the book in trade so you can read the series seamlessly. If you feel that $4.99 is a bit of a deal breaker, then I suggest you wait till the series ends to get it on trade just so it can be a straightforward read. I personally liked it, but I admit, I really enjoyed Flash issue 51 by Joshua Williamson and Batman Beyond issue 22 by Dan Jurgens a bit more due to arriving on schedule.B ut regardless of that, if you can afford it, and are interested, then definitely pick this issue up.
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