Take No Prisoners to the Twilight of the Gods!
Credits: Dan Raspler (writer), Dev Madan (penciler), Keith Champagne (inker), Bill Oakley (letterer), Scott Baumann (colorist)
Scarecrow is on the loose at Camp Mahan, a government compound apparently run by two corrupt bureaucrats, Miller and Morris. The Young Heroes are called in to stop him, and are naturally forced to face their greatest fears. Hard Drive finds the strength to fight the Scarecrow’s hallucinations and saves the day. Plus…
Bonfire is still unaware Monstergirl impersonated her and seduced Thunderhead a few issues ago.
Thunderhead can’t understand why Bonfire is acting so cold towards him.
Off-Ramp visits his infant son, and leaves money for a woman named Samira. The mystery man in the shadows last issue is apparently her new boyfriend. Their conversation is conveniently translated from Italian this issue.
Junior is upset Hard Drive listed their secret headquarters in the phone book. In an earlier scene, he brings up Doomsday during a discussion on monsters, dragging down the team's mood. This is a nice touch on Raspler’s part; we might view Doomsday as a gimmicky ‘90s plot device, but in the context of the DC Universe, he’s responsible for Superman’sdeath, which isn’t something anyone would take lightly.
Frostbite decides, after surviving Scarecrow’s fear gas, that he won’t wait any longer. He pulls Bonfire aside and kisses her.
First a Superman guest shot, then a line-wide crossover tie-in, and now a Batman villain to remind everyone that this is a real DCU book and it shouldn’t be dismissed like…the Helix line or something. Raspler does use Scarecrow very well, playing up the idea that facing your worst fears would be a horrific experience that wouldn’t end simply because the gas has worn off, but the actual mechanics of the story are confusing. Who are Miller and Morris? How did they end up with Scarecrow? After opening the comic with a lengthy chase scene, how exactly did Miller and Morris escape Scarecrow and reach the Young Heroes? Why did they lie to Hard Drive and pretend they didn’t know that the villain was Scarecrow? None of this makes sense. Still, Dev Madan does a great job on the hallucination scenes, and the emphasis on Hard Drive’s concern for his teammates as he fights the gas is an interesting character bit. I like the idea that in spite of his deviousness, Hard Drive honestly cares about these people he’s manipulating and considers them friends.
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