DC Comics reviews 3/2/21 – Infinite Frontier #0, Batman #106

Crime Syndicate #1

The Crime Syndicate has had a storied run of being exceptional thorns in the side of the Justice League. They represent the worst impulses of their heroic counterparts and barely co-exist with each other. One of the best presentations of the group was in Forever Evil, a standout event of the New 52 era.

Writer Andy Schmidt and artist Kieran McKeown seek to put respect back on the team’s name with this six-issue limited series.

Schmidt spends too much time explaining the simple concept of the Crime Syndicate — they’re an evil Justice League — through spotlight sequences. Ultraman and Superwoman have the best of these while the others quickly feel repetitive. The book is set before the Syndicate becomes a team and Schmidt has some fun with a running gag referencing events in the member’s non-existent Earth-3 stand-alone titles.

McKeown’s art is a mixed bag. Some scenes, like Owlman’s first appearance, is very well done with strong details and expressive characters. Other moments lack much detail or consistency.

The Syndicate gets its first galactic incursion, which Schmidt is establishing as the spark that puts them together. At least with this first issue, this take on the Syndicate isn’t that interesting as there’s a sense of read and seen this done better before. There’s still time to turn it around, but this wasn’t a good first impression of the DC Multiverse’s bad guys.

Rating: 5 out of 10