I wanted to really like this issue. There's some solid action to be found here, an unpredictable and intriguing subplot that grows significantly in importance in this issue and a dialogue-driven scene that had plenty of potential to be truly terrifying. But that potential in the latter segment is not realized, and what's worse is that the main plot of this series isn't advanced at all. Meltzer's treatment of death in the DC Universe is inconsistent here as well, and the entire issue feels more than a little padded. The art is fairly strong, but there's really only one visual in the book -- the silent, final page -- that really grabs the reader.
In the wake of the threat against Lois Lane's life, the heroes of the DC Universe are desperate to discover who is responsible, and they set out to shake down and interrogate every super-villain they can get their hands on. On such encounter proves fatal for one hero, and the approach gets them no closer to any answers. Elsewhere, Capt. Boomerang makes a shocking discovery about his son. Meanwhile, Tim Drake, AKA Robin, is terrified his father could be targeted, and after he joins the Batman in their quest for the killer, his worst fears may come true.
The expressiveness that Morales and Bair bring to the characters is key to the success of the storytelling. At its heart, this story relies on emotion for its appeal, not on the mystery. There's no way to know who's responsible for this chaos. The artists convey the heroes' emotions quite clearly here. Morales's work here reminds me a bit of Jerry Ordway's style with a hint of Steve Dillon's thrown in for good measure. The climactic scene in the Drake household is visually awkward, though, but it's not really the artists' fault. The proliferation of word balloons crowds the artwork.
What I find most intriguing about this issue is the Boomerang-and-son subplot. It's really grown into an important story element, and I'm far more interested in how this connects to everything than the identity of the killer. Speaking of killing, the death of Firestorm in this issue (as mirrored in this week's Firestorm #6) glosses over the event rather quickly. So much time and energy has been focused on the death of Sue Dibny that it feels like Firestorm gets cheated here. He's been around since the 1970s and has been the focus of two ongoing series and a full-fledged member of the JLA. I'm sure there are more Ronnie Raymond fans out there than Sue Dibny devotees, and Meltzer's rapid movement through this tragic moment seems unfair somehow.
The sequence focusing on Robin's father alone in his house would have made for a white-knuckled nailbiter in a live-action medium such as TV or the silver screen. The notion of a son listening to his father's impending doom growing closer is heart-wrenching. Unfortunately, the sequence just doesn't work as well on the printed page. It seemed unnecessarily drawn out. The heroes come off as implausibly ineffectual, and Robin's dad seems horror-movie stupid as opposed to brave. 5/10
