“Fortress” – Part Three
Artist: Darick Roberstson
Color Artist: Diego Rodriguez
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Review by Steve J. Ray
Batman: Fortress #3 is an entertaining issue and a definite improvement on last month’s. The world has come to a standstill, due to an invading alien force disrupting all communications and decimating the Justice League. To make matters worse, Superman is missing.
As with the previous two issues, this series delivers an intriguing story, but it still feels like fan-fiction. The dialogue is incredibly melodramatic, filled with tech-jargon that completely leaves me numb, and with comics favorite heroes and villains acting totally out of character.
The villains of the piece have a definite gripe against the house of El, to which Superman belongs. I do find it odd that it’s only him the baddies are after when Supergirl’s also part of that family. This kind of thing highlights one of the many issues I have with this series. Is this an Elseworlds story? It certainly feels like one, as the Justice League we met in issue #2 don’t speak or act like any I’ve ever read about. Also, Batman feels wrong, Perry White has never acted that way, and even the Dark Knight’s new partner against the invaders feels odd. Plus… where’s Supergirl?
Thankfully the book looks nice, courtesy of Darick Robertson, Diego Rodriguez, and Simon Bowland.
Conclusion
Batman: Fortress #3, like its predecessors, is a very frustrating comic. There’s tons to like, the story does intrigue me, and I do want to know what happens next… but getting through each issue sometimes feels like a chore. The lines about Australia, the new protagonist, and his quest alongside Batman, did make me smile, though. It also made the title of the book make more sense.
One thing I did love was the way Batman spoke to the Guardians of Oa. I’ve felt that way about those characters for decades, and in this issue, they felt the Batman burn. At least we now know why the GL Corps aren’t helping.
All in all, the issue isn’t awful, but it’s far from great.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment