Guest Reviews: Team 7 #3

Black Diamond Probability, Mission 1.3: Darkness Rising

Solicit

From the pages of RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS, the mysterious Essence joins the team’s battle against the Heart of Darkness known as the Black Diamond!

Before he was Deathstroke The Terminator, Slade Wilson was possessed by Eclipso! Is this the secret origin of a super villain?

The secret history of the superhuman cold war is here!

Preview

Reviews

I'm Talking to a Hot Ghost Girl Original Review by Grifter78 at Comic Vine

Team 7 is in the house! This title gets stronger and stronger with each new issue. Julius Gopez on art has been much more enjoyable these last couple of issues. Jordan also throws in a little Indiana Jones/ G.I. Joe flavor with this issue that really gives the team a chance to shine. I feel this title is finally getting its footing. Toting itself as the history of the New 52 is a big job but I feel it's one Jordan is handling really well.

Let's start off by bringing to light that fact that Jordan does three key cool things in this issue that I really appreciated. We get a cameo by Essence from Red Hood and the Outlaws (no spoilers, she's mentioned in the solicit), we get the New 52 introduction of Eclipso (also mentioned in the solicits) and finally we get the New 52 introduction of one of the greatest Wildstorm villains ever (not mentioned in solicits so you'll just have to find out who for yourself)! Add on top of that the fact that Deathstroke takes a turn at narrating the issue (Lynch and Black Canary narrated the previous two) and we get a really solid issue.

Read the rest of Grifter78's Review on Comic Vine

Darkness Rising Original Review by Batwatch at Comic Vine

Since this month’s Catwoman was a crossover with the mysteriously named The Black Diamond Probability story arc, I thought I should read tie in which had occurred most recently leading up the Catwoman story. In addition to giving me a chance to broaden my horizons, I figure this will help me understand the nature of Eclipso in the New 52, and maybe it will shed light on the bizarre flesh map that Selina possessed.

I know very little about Team 7. My understanding is that this series was adapted from the Wildstorm universe, and in the DCNU, Team 7 is set five years in the past and consists of a group dedicated to fighting supernatural threats. I’m familiar with most of the characters, but I had to look up some info on Alex Fairchild, Grifter and Gamorra, but enough background. All I really care is whether this is a good story and whether it sheds any light on the DCNU Eclipso. Does this create a dark and moody tale, or is it just a black hole of putrid despair?

In this issue, Team 7 travels to Sentinel Island to stop a group of mercenaries from taking the Heart of Hell.

Let’s Hear It for the Colorist!

Ah, comic fans follow the writers and often rave about the pencilers, but the colorists get no love! Well, I object to that because the colors are stunning!

This issue is extremely vibrant and the colors change from page to page which is much nicer than what sometimes happens in the Bat books where things are simply different shades of black and grey on every page. It’s nice to see colors that are rich and schemes that shift frequently. The other elements of the art also solid, but it is the colors that push it into the realm of excellence.

Read the rest of Batwatch's review on Comic Vine

What I Thought

See the Review Rating Overview page for more information on how I rate each comic.

Cover & Solicit - 4/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 3/5
Layout & Flow - 5/5
Story - 5/5
Verdict - 4.3

This series has been very good so far. I enjoy seeing some Wildstorm characters get some face time in the DCU. The solicit states that Essence joins the team, while partially true, this is before her time with Red Hood and the Outlaws. I'm curious to where this series is going. I figured it would give some insight on how the meta-humans started showing up on the scene and how the current DC universe heroes like Black Canary and Cailin Fairchild came to have their powers. It's still early and they might reveal it later so I can wait. My only real gripe with the issue is unlike Jeremy who liked the coloring, I found it at times muted and occasionally the art, coloring and inking didn't stay consistent. That said this was an excellent read and I highly recommend it.

Purchase Team 7 #3 on Amazon

Joe David Soliz is a blogger at http://www.wildstormaddiction.com/ and Jeremy Sims is a blogger at https://batwatch.squarespace.com/. They are both comic book reviewers at Comic Vine. The use of these reviews has been authorized by the original authors.