DC Comics reviews 8/2/22 – Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #3, Batman #126

Sword of Azrael Dark Knight of the Soul #1

Jean Paul Valley has been in a holding limbo pattern since Justice League Odyssey wrapped following a fantastic run-on Detective Comics.

Azrael is an underused character, so it was nice to see him get focused attention in this new one-shot. And even better, the creative team shows exactly why Azrael deserves more love from DC. Maybe in the form of a new series?

Jean Paul works at a hospice by day and at night he’s doing his part to clean the streets of Gotham.

Writer Dan Watters breaks this dynamic down very well in addition to the obligatory Batman cameo and intro of a new rival.

Watters actually shows surprising respect for Christianity — a tenant of Jean Paul’s character. The easy approach would have been to make Jean Paul sound crazy for being a believer. Watters’ approach navigated the brainwashing of the Order of St. Dumas with Jean Paul’s belief system showing there is a way to incorporate religion and faith into comic stories.

Nikola Cizmesija’s artwork has a touch of a manga flair without leaning too far to the anime style. There’s a steady energetic flow to the art that makes the pages lively with constant motion conveyed.

Ivan Plascencia’s strong color work helps capture reader attention as well as letterer Ariana Maker’s creative layouts with Azrael’s narration and spoken dialogue.

This was a strong one shot — one that raises the question of a follow-up. Thankfully there’s not a long wait as the next installment also got released this week.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: DC Comics