(2015, DC)
Woah man, this ish was a trip. Bermejo's cover implies some sort of Batgirl of Burnside team-up, which totally happens but not like you'd expect (more in the inspirational way that Superman showed up in that issue of Hitman all those years ago if you follow me). In the wake of the events of the past 3 issues, we get a spotlight on Riko to see more intimately how someone is coping with the Robin team's recent loss. Riko really gets to stand out here, which gives her some needed distinguishing points.
Artist James Harvey steps in for a one-off and has delivered one of the craziest indie-looking issues of a mainstream comic in a good long while. At times it seems Harvey is channeling Archie Comics, or Paul Pope, or Daniel Clowes, or Jim Rugg (this ish feels like the most Street Angel thing since Street Angel)... with zipotone grittying up the page and stark, flat, old-school four-colour style from Harvey and Alex Jaffe, it's just delicious. The street art feel to Harvey's layouts (in some respects like Spider-Gwen's Robbi Rodriguez's layout) is very contemporary for the form but the visual style within the panels feels more retro. Elements of collage and Ditko-esque pop-art dizziness all work together to create a blazingly unique visual story that accompanies an almost stereotypical tale.
Bermejo's brilliant incorporation of perennial high school English fodder Lord of the Flies into Riko's waking fever dream of a life is equally brilliantly hanled by Harvey. Kids run amok.
And if I couldn't love this ish more, Harvey (I wonder if at Bermejo's direction) illustrates a graphitti scrawl of "They Reminiscence Over You" in honor of their fallen member Troy (with a circle around the 'R' - for 'Robin' dig?). A Peye Rock and C.L. Smooth reference... ya got my love gentlemen.
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I'm writing most of these posts at night on my phone so a) apologies for the typing errors and b) ugly formatting. I'll try to fix things when I get a chance.
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