The brooding, alcoholic, White Witch of Gotham has finally come to terms with what she really is- a superhero. Mother Panic #5 marks a moment of genuine change and borderline gentleness for Gotham's second most angsty vigilante. Violet may not be happy in this strange new reality, but that doesn't make fighting the good fight any less important; especially now that she knows there is no way home.
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DC/Young Animal: Milk Wars is a weird kind of crossover. I know, big surprise from the story about the extradimensional corporation Retonn weaponizing milk to “homogenize” the DCU. But, what I mean is, it’s not a dedicated five-issue miniseries, nor is it a five-part story taking place in single issues of the various books involved. Instead, it’s five separate one-shots, each pairing DC and Young Animal characters. Now, Grant Morrison did something similar with The Multiversity, but there, it directly ties into the narrative. Whereas, with Milk Wars, it’s a stylistic choice more than anything else. But, what makes it truly strange is the fact that two of the one-shots, Mother Panic/Batman Special #1and Shade the Changing Girl/Wonder Woman Special #1 have little to no impact on the plot. You could remove both of those issues and their respective characters, and the story literally wouldn’t change at all.
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As suddenly as it began, DC’s Milk Wars has ended. For a relatively short event, Milk Wars is loaded with references, ideologies, and narratives that need intense dissection to piece together completely. I wouldn’t say that I’m disappointed, just a little frustrated with the amount of work the average reader will have to do to follow and understand what they’re reading. If you have a sturdy background in Grant Morrison’s Multiversity, the complete history of the Doom Patrol, the Justice League, and all of the Young Animal titles, you have nothing to worry about here. If you haven’t read much of the Young Animals, aren’t up to date with Doom Patrol, and haven’t delved into the history of DC’s multiverse, you’re going to need a lot of breadcrumbs to find your way through this story. Milk Wars is clever, hilarious, and fully embraces the “meta-narrative” trend that’s been taking over more and more in pop culture. However, Young Animals was created as a way to bring new readers into the DC universe without having to feel lost or behind. Milk Wars effectively alienates any new readers of not only DC but comics as a whole. I’ve been a DC girl since about eight years old, and even I had to put reading on hold to look up back issues and google characters to piece everything together. Milk Wars is a smart read for an avid comic fan, but likely a let down to readers hoping to use the Young Animal titles as gateway comics.
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I want to start off with the one thing that irritated me with Mother Panic - Batman #1. Maybe I never noticed it in Mother Panic, but I wish they’d use actual curse words instead of Violet losing her “@!*&&#$” mind. I’m going to lose my @!&&#$ mind over that. I’m starting with the negative because the rest of this review is going to be a long-winded fawning over Mother Panic as a title, followed by a serious appreciation for the adventure Mother Panic - Batman #1 sets up.
Read MoreAs Violet shares a longing for vengeance with her new acquaintance, a breaking point is reached. Meanwhile, a basement dweller by the name of Flannegan is getting friendly with some rats, and as per usual Violet's mother is acting strange. Read ahead for thoughts on this week's issue!
Read MoreMother Panic is okay. It isn't a dazzling new IP in the Batman world, but it's certainly the most admirable attempt at a fresh addition I've seen in a while in Gotham. Violet Paige is another take on the Batman story. Think Bruce, but with the mirror ever so slightly cracked so that what is reflected isn't a perfect replication. She too is a wealthy socialite by day, but of the crass rock star variety, flipping off the paparazzi and threatening reporters at parties. She has living blood relations instead of dead ones, but there is plenty of tragedy there to go around. Unlike the certainty Bruce approaches the world with, Paige hasn't decided what she is yet, other than angry, equipped, and hungry for revenge we don't understand the parameters of yet. Still, with this introductory episode, I am more than happy to wait and find out.
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