Task Force Z #12 - DC Comics

TASK FORCE Z No. 12, November 2022

Described by “DC Comics” in their pre-publication solicitation as “Jason Todd’s final second chance”, this twenty-two-page periodical’s plot surely must have enthralled its audience with its variety of twists and turns. Indeed, every time Matthew Rosenberg pens for a chilling confrontation to take place between his storyline's numerous heavy hitters, the author immediately wrong-foots the reader by suddenly swapping one opponent out for another; “Harvey… I believe we were still talking when you dropped that building on me.”

Happily however, such a rotating carousel of pulse-pounding pugilists never gets tiring, especially when the likes of Solomon Grundy, Gotham Girl and Henry Clover Junior increasingly start to vent their pent up anger upon Mister Bloom. Furthermore, there’s a lot of cleverly-written dialogue to be navigated whilst the ferocious fisticuffs are taking place, with various members of this book’s sizeable cast undergoing some intriguing character development – most notably that of Harvey Dent, who quite delightfully returns to his dark Two-Face persona so as to create a new, non-government sanctioned “Task Force Z” who will doubtless be mass-murdering zombie criminals as opposed to covert super-powered operatives.

Just as well done is how all the utter carnage, death and large-scale destruction caused by “an anonymous participant of Daryl Gutierrez's underground metahuman experiments” is succinctly folded into the DC Universe’s ongoing canon without causing too much of a ripple in the current status quo. Sure, Jason Todd departs for West Texas having been erroneously thought dead following the literal collapse of Powers International Headquarters. But considering just how many villains and anti-heroes were killed during this twelve-issue mini-series some bibliophiles will be amazed that the vast majority are at least temporarily brought back by its end, courtesy of a single Lazarus Resin injection.

Helping to project the huge quantity of damage and debris caused by Mister Bloom’s maniacal machinations is Eddy Barrows, who along with inker Eber Ferreira and colorist Adriano Lucas, provides this comic with an incalculable number of broken bricks, support beams and billowing dust clouds. In addition, the Brazilian artist does a terrific job with the layouts illustrating Dent’s decline back into his heinous alter-ego. The horrific, cold-blooded murder of the Gotham Morgue technicians is chillingly pencilled, and probably only ‘out done’ by this title’s final (splash) page which shows a disconcertingly grinning Two Face gleefully looking forward to his future “big plans.”

The regular cover art of "TASK FORCE Z" #12 by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira & Adriano Lucas

Task Force Z #11 - DC Comics

TASK FORCE Z No. 11, October 2022

Crammed with numerous frenzied fights, two seriously strong powerhouses in the shape of Gotham Girl and her late brother, Henry Clover, as well as some truly disturbing body horror, Matthew Rosenberg’s script for Issue Eleven of “Task Force Z” certainly delivers the goods as far as good old fashioned comic book action is concerned. However, it’s doubtful that many within this publication’s audience actually understood who was fighting whom and for what reason, without them having first read “DC Comics” solicitation synopsis; “I didn’t come here to fight a bunch of rent-a-cops. But I don’t mind the warm-up.”

Thankfully though, this quibble is a relatively minor one once Red Hood takes his “fight to Powers International” and foolishly faces all of his former team-mates in a battle royale of the most savage order. Indeed, Jason Todd’s furious assault upon the likes of a zombified Man-Bat, Arkham Knight and Deadshot is so well-paced it arguably doesn’t matter what the lead protagonist’s motivation is – especially when it superbly sets up the former-Robin’s one-sided confrontation with the insanely formidable metahuman he previously murdered in cold blood when he thought they were actually Bane.

In addition, the American author does a first-rate job in providing Mister Bloom with a genuine moment of terrifying mutilation when an absolutely aghast Geraldine Powers discovers “the psychotic scarecrow” is keeping Doctor Acheron’s severed head in a glass jar because the decapitated scientist still “won’t stop screaming.” So grotesque a scene really helps to show that the gangly super-villain is capable of ignoring any moral compass, and subsequently adds to Two-Face’s intense fear when Task Force Z’s boss is later cornered by an armour-suited Bloom beneath the city’s centre.

Adding even more macabre magic to this twenty-two page periodical is Eddy Barrows’ sense-shattering layouts. Along with Eber Ferreira’s inks and Adriano Lucas’ colours, the Brazilian artist quite beautifully captures all the raw emotion on show by this comic’s considerably-sized cast, with Gotham Girl’s evident appreciative delight at having her dead relation returned to her, along with Powers’ sheer shock at Acheron’s ignoble fate, being just two of this book’s numerous visual highlights.

The regular cover art of "TASK FORCE Z" #11 by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira & Adriano Lucas

Task Force Z #10 - DC Comics

TASK FORCE Z No. 10, September 2022

Repeatedly chucking its audience all over the place as far as this narrative’s timeline is concerned, it is hard to imagine many bibliophiles were able to properly follow Matthew Rosenberg’s choppy storyline for Issue Ten of “Task Force Z”, at least with just a single reading. For whilst the twenty-two-page periodical certainly contains some sense-shattering action sequences, such as Peacemaker lethally braining an inbound intruder with a single blow, the decision by its “hard-hitting” writer to persistently relocate the action back and forth between the zombie team’s latest headquarters and the old Chop Shop “twenty-four hours later (but still months ago)” gets frustratingly disorientating rather quickly.

In addition, it’s arguably not made particularly clear just what Amanda Waller’s main goal is apart from ordering her “rent-a-geniuses” to “figure out how to put memories into a dead guy.” Ultimately, this rather puzzling plot thread reveals that throughout this mini-series the super-strong villain Bane has actually been the ‘pumped-up’ crime-fighter Gotham in disguise, with the implication being that Edmund Dorrance’s real son “somehow survived during the A-Day.” However, as it’s crystal clear that the United States government agent doesn’t trust either Two-Face or Mister Bloom, the notion she’d willingly allow Jim Gordon’s arch-nemesis the opportunity to overwrite her undead team’s minds with his own homicidal one is unconvincing at best. 

Fortunately, what this book’s penmanship debatably lacks in logic it more than makes up for with violent action, courtesy of Red Hood’s confrontation with Mister Bloom and the masked maniac’s mind-controlled minions – KGBeast and Madame Crow. Initially, this pulse-pounding bout of meta-human pugilism looks set to be decidedly one-sided considering that Solomon Grundy literally smashes his way into the fracas on the former-Robin’s side. But once the fists, feet and severed limbs start flying all over the place, an eventual winner is far less certain - particularly when Task Force Z’s “criminal contortionist” also turns traitor; “It must have been Copperhead. Bloom must have gotten to him too.”

Equally as enjoyable as this reckless rampage through the streets of Gotham City are Eddy Barrows’ layouts, which help project this comic’s significantly sized cast with plenty of raw emotion, even when its more sedentary scenes are overflowing with dialogue. Indeed, despite the brevity of her appearance in this publication, Waller arguably steals every panel in which she appears, courtesy of some wicked pencilling demonstrating all the character’s ruthlessness, strength of will, and utter arrogance.

The regular cover art of "TASK FORCE Z" #10 by Eddy Barrows & Adriano Lucas

Task Force Z #9 - DC Comics

TASK FORCE Z No. 9, August 2022

Intriguingly depicting the titular characters as “public enemy number one”, Matthew Rosenberg’s script for Issue Nine of “Task Force Z” certainly contains a super-tense stand-off between Red Hood’s zombie-like goon squad and a heavily-gunned Gotham City Police Department. In fact, the sheer amount of officers stood outside the Snyder Ice Rink in Bludhaven arguably suggests that without Bane’s surprising distraction, Jason Todd’s team might not have survived the encounter intact; “Head for the Van! Copperhead, No! Don’t eat him… Good little monsters. Good job not eating the cop.”

Disappointingly though, the rest of this periodical’s twenty-two page long plot doesn’t debatably seem to lead anywhere until its very end, with the American author spending some significant time spotlighting the treacherous Mister Bloom’s investigations into Powers International’s deepest, darkest secrets. True, these incredibly dialogue-heavy scenes do eventually divulge that the “twisted meta-human” has established some sort of hold over King Snake’s Venom-enhanced, super-strong son using a covertly implanted brain chip, but such a revelation could probably have been told within a much shorter time-frame.

Instead, this book is padded out with Sundowner single-handedly almost taking out the entirety of Task Force Z, courtesy of an obvious ambush inside a pitch black recreation facility. So bloody a subsequent battle is undeniably pulse-pounding as Hanna Hobart’s alter-ego savagely slices her way through her former colleagues one-by-one. However, the villain’s eventual defeat and demise at the hands of Solomon Grundy is then solely used by Two Face as a means to obtain some more Lazarus Resin so as to resurrect the very undead criminals “their most dangerous foe” slaughtered during her attack in the first place. 

Significantly more convincing than this publication’s storyline is Eddy Barrows’ remarkable pencils, which go a long way to helping keep the reader fully invested in this book. The Brazilian artist proves particularly good when sketching Mister Bloom’s disconcertingly awkward mannerisms, so that even when the unnervingly masked menace is supposedly being friendly to the adolescent Derek Powers by ruffling the young boy’s hair, any perusing bibliophile will still feel that at any moment Commissioner Gordon’s arch-nemesis is going to cold-heartedly kill the kid.

The regular cover art of "TASK FORCE Z" #9 by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira & Adriano Lucas

Task Force Z #8 - DC Comics

TASK FORCE Z No. 8, July 2022

Described in its pre-publication synopsis as comprising of an “All-new team! [with the] Same old problems!” Issue Eight of “Task Force Z” arguably gives the extended Bat-Family significantly more ‘screen time’ than Harvey Dent’s titular squad of undead felons and evil-doers. Indeed, such is the ever-pervading presence of the Dark Knight throughout Matthew Rosenberg’s scintillating script that its cataclysmic events read as if they're occurring within a Batman book rather than one focusing upon “a line-up of some of Gotham City’s worst criminals who’ve ever lived.” 

Admittedly, Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego doesn’t actually appear within this twenty-two-page periodical until its halfway stage, when he arrives to tackle a rampaging Solomon Grundy during a faked heist. But the Caped Crusader’s famous Batmobile is a persistent feature of the storyline straight from the start, and as a result everything which both Two Face and Red Hood do is in direct response to the cowled crimefighter’s night-time patrol; “Ha. You’re not going to fight him. He’d destroy you. You just have to look like you’re going to fight him.”

In addition, Jason Todd’s exhilarating battle against the likes of Nightwing, Red Robin and Batwoman is as a direct result of Batman ordering his proteges to take the crowbar-carrying vigilante into “custody”. This awesome smackdown really does demonstrate just how mercilessly violent ‘The Outlaw’ has become since he was “resurrected by Talia al Ghul using the Lazarus Pit, and then trained by both the League of Assassins and the All-Caste”, as he brutally batters his three opponents within an inch of their lives, especially Timothy Drake – who staggers away from the confrontation with both a broken nose and genuine sense of betrayal as to the behaviour of his mask-wearing predecessor.

Curiously however, perhaps this publication’s greatest asset lies in editor Dave Wielgosz’s decision to utilise the talents of Jesus Merino, Jack Herbert and Vicente Cifuentes as its artists. Obviously, there is some noticeable difference in pencilling styles between the three different illustrators. Yet that doesn’t stop Red Hood’s pulse-pounding punch-up with the Bat-Family, or the Dark Knight’s dynamically drawn fracas against a certain pale-fleshed reanimated corpse from almost literally leaping off the printed page with vibrant energy.

Script: Matthew Rosenberg, and Artists: Jesus Merino, Jack Herbert & Vicente Cifuentes

Task Force Z #7 - DC Comics

TASK FORCE Z No. 7, July 2022

Initially appearing to depict a fairly uncomplicated narrative involving Jason Todd violently recruiting KGBeast’s former team-mates to thwart Geraldine Powers’ sale of “unapproved chemical weapons to known international terrorists”, Matthew Rosenberg’s script for Issue Seven of “Task Force Z” probably wrong-footed a fair few of its readers two-thirds of the way through the comic. For whilst the Red Hood’s plan to brutally abduct the likes of Victor Zsasz, Madame Crow and Copperhead is entirely successful, the sudden duplicity of Mister Freeze arguably transforms the former Robin’s mission into a total waste of resources.

Indeed, by the twenty-two-page periodical’s conclusion, many within its audience probably felt that Dick Grayson’s controversial successor ended up further from victory than when the book started, requiring an inordinate amount of Lazarus Resin with which to resurrect both his “new recruits” and some of his own ailing squad members. Thankfully however, this doesn’t mean for an instant that the publication-long plot is a wasted effort, as it still contains plenty of scintillating ‘villain-on-villain’ confrontations, such as Bane verses Solomon Grundy and Anatoli Knyazev against Copperhead.

Furthermore, this publication’s coverage of Todd tackling one of Gotham City’s most notorious serial killers single-handedly in a deserted vehicle scrap yard is debatably one of the mini-series’ most intense matchups to date. Unarmoured and visibly slower than the self-mutilated Zsasz, Jason’s battle to the death really demonstrates how far Batman’s ‘failed’ protégé has fallen from his mentor’s famous moral standpoint, as well as the murderous lengths he’ll stoop to when dealing with extremely dangerous sociopaths; “You’re gonna kill me over Deadshot? Man-Bat? That Sundowner girl? I was working for Waller, man. You can’t blame me --”

Artists Jack Herbert and Daniel HDR also need a considerable ‘pat on the back’ for making this comic’s storytelling so enjoyable, courtesy of characters such as Fries displaying some enjoyably exaggerated facial expressions and body language depending upon whether the criminals have been fruitful in their felonious endeavours or not. The aforementioned duel between Victor and the Red Hood is also so dynamically drawn that you can almost 'taste the testosterone' emanating from the two highly aggressive combatants as they ferociously try to eliminate one another amongst the rusty, unwanted automobiles.

The regular cover art of "TASK FORCE Z" #7 by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira & Adriano Lucas

Task Force Z #6 - DC Comics

TASK FORCE Z No. 6, May 2022

Finally filling in a few blanks as to the formation of Two-Face’s government-sponsored undead super-team, this so-called “secret-origin issue” of “Task Force Z” certainly paints a convoluted picture as to Mister Bloom’s treacherous behaviour behind the scenes. Indeed, Daryl Gutierrez's anonymous creation appears to have ‘suckered in’ almost the entirety of this mini-series’ main cast with his deals, counter-deals and duplicitous manipulations; “Waller knew it before we did. But at least now we got confirmation. And that means we know what our mission is, Harvey. It’s time to kill Mister Bloom.”

Happily however, all these disconcerting revelations are rather neatly interspersed amongst the present-day happenings, which means that Matthew Rosenberg’s narrative never really loses pace when it momentarily flashes back to Doctor Walter Albrecht’s celebratory champagne in “a secret laboratory”, Senator O'Connor’s attempt to reignite his political career through resurrecting the dead, or the initial recruitment of Jason Todd as the “pretty face” of Dent’s macabre band of deceased criminals. Instead, these insights steadily explain just how Red Hood’s current mission is completely unravelling and demonstrate just how naïve the likes of Gotham City’s “half-melted, fully-homicidal former District Attorney” has been to trust an American politician “who is one @#&% hair from doing time.”

Of course, this twenty-two-page periodical’s biggest draw is probably the dramatic confrontation between the Dark Knight and his former protégé, as intimidated by the book’s pulse-pounding cover illustration by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira and Adriano Lucas. This fraught conversation, which initially begins with the Caped Crusader running over ‘Robin’ with the Batmobile, really dives deep into the strained relationship between the two costumed crime-fighters, and it will doubtless come as no surprise to many of this comic’s readers that Batman soon knocks an increasingly angry Todd back to the ground so as to thwart the youth from “following very bad men down a very bad path.”

Helping with the storytelling for this particular instalment is artist Jack Herbert, who does a prodigious job pencilling all of Mister Bloom’s schemes with great aplomb. Furthermore, the Brazilian does a first-rate job of imbuing KGBeast’s downfall against Bane, Mister Freeze and Red Hood with plenty of pulse-pounding punch, especially once Anatoli Knyazev’s realises the futility of his predicament and activates his personal, self-destruct device.

Writer: Matthew Rosenberg, Artist: Jack Herbert and Colors: Adriano Lucas

Task Force Z #5 - DC Comics

TASK FORCE Z No. 5, April 2022

Arguably giving Mister Bloom more spotlight than this mini-series’ main protagonist Red Hood, Matthew Rosenberg’s storyline for Issue Five of “Task Force Z” still must have proved a somewhat popular read when it was published in February 2022. In fact, considering just how disconcertingly dark the American author’s script gets as the gangly villain shockingly delivers Man-Bat’s severed head to Geri Powers at her company’s multi-storey headquarters, it is surprising that the “online repository of comic-book circulation data” Comichron only projected the book as being “DC Comics” thirty-ninth best-selling title of the month “based on a subset of retailer initial orders.”

Foremost of this magazine’s strengths however, debatably lies with the fascinatingly fraught relationship between Jason Todd and KGBeast, as the pair clearly don’t like one another and yet Batman’s young protégé still unsuccessfully endeavours to talk his way ‘out of trouble’ when their two opposing super-powered squads suddenly confront one another deep inside a secret laboratory. Anatoli Knyazev’s barbaric personality is especially well-penned, with the former Russian agent’s propensity for needless violence repeatedly coming to fore, most notably when he begins slowly disfiguring a helpless Red Hood at this comic’s conclusion with a combat knife; “Just because you know how this ends does not mean we can’t have some fun before then.”

Similarly as sinister though is Bloom’s aforementioned machinations as he continues to manipulate matters behind the scenes within Task Force Z, even whispering an instruction to kill into a zombified Man-Bat’s ear when it momentarily appears that his team leader has actually managed to convince both Celia Shelley and Knyazev to talk things through. Indeed, considering that “A Whole Lotta Characters Goin’ On” also contains plenty of examples of Amanda Waller’s murderous intrigues, it’s genuinely difficult to discern which of two antagonists is actually acting the more Machiavellian throughout this mini-series.

Perhaps therefore this publication’s only slight quibble comes with some of its artwork, which seems to occasionally shift in style just enough to potentially bring the odd bibliophile out of the book. It’s unclear just why editor Paul Kaminski required four different illustrators to work on this edition, but regular penciller Eddy Barrows’ heavily lined panels are so distinctive that even the slightest variation to his technique disconcertingly catches the eye, and resultantly can momentarily distract the reader from the sense-shattering shenanigans occurring upon the printed page.

The regular cover art of "TASK FORCE Z" #5 by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira & Adriano Lucas

Task Force Z #4 - DC Comics

TASK FORCE Z No. 4, March 2022

Relying far more upon the politics and sinister subterfuge taking place behind the scenes at the Chop Shop to ‘hook’ its audience, rather than a carousel of bone-cracking confrontations with flesh-hungry cadavers, Matthew Rosenberg’s narrative for Issue Four of “Task Force Z” still must have pleased the majority of its readers. For whilst this twenty-two page periodical’s biggest talking points are arguably the Red Hood’s mean-spirited interrogation of Harvey Dent, and subsequent battle of wills against his former mentor, the Batman, the dialogue driven discussions still prove as enthralling as if Jason Todd were actually trading electrically-charged blows with his opponents.

Moreover, the American author also does an excellent job in progressing the sub-plot of Mister Bloom’s bizarre behaviour towards his fellow Undead team-mates, and raises the intriguing notion that Amanda Waller has been secretly developing a second team alongside Two-Face’s squad. Indeed, the antics of Daryl Gutierrez’s seed-powered meta-human is probably the most disturbing element of this book’s storyline, especially when the super-villain shockingly murders Doctor Anton towards the climax of the comic, and blatantly demonstrates just how untrustworthy he is; “No he wasn’t, you sneaky @!#&. What did he mean about you coming back? Do you know what this place is? Have you been here before?”

Of course, all these character-driven machinations doesn’t mean for a moment that there isn’t still room for some pulse-pounding pugilism and unrestrained physical violence, with Todd’s aforementioned conversation with the Dark Knight actually taking place in a dark, mugger-filled alleyway during a failed robbery. In addition, Jason’s barely functioning team are eventually dispatched upon one last mission “to isolate some of the unique chemicals that are released in production of the Lazarus Resin”, which quickly deteriorates into a free for all between the likes of Arkham Knight and some grotesque-looking walking corpses.

Equally enjoyable as the writing are Eddy Barrows and Kieran McKeown slightly contrasting-in-style contributions as joint pencilers. Eduardo does a particularly good job in depicting both the restrained aggression lurking just beneath the Red Hood’s costumed physique when facing Dent in the supposedly reformed rogue’s luxurious home, as well as the disconcerting gangliness of Mister Bloom whenever Scott Snyder’s Slender Man derivative sinisterly enters the stage to commit another of his diabolical treacheries.

The regular cover art of "TASK FORCE Z" #4 by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira & Adriano Lucas

Task Force Z #3 - DC Comics

TASK FORCE Z No. 3, February 2022

Decidedly more sedentary than this mini-series’ previous two action-packed instalments, Matthew Rosenberg’s screenplay for “The Same Coin” still probably beguiled most of its audience due to its fascinating focus upon Jason Todd’s motivation for staying with Project Halperin. In fact, all the character-driven Machiavellian machinations taking place within the Chop Shop are genuinely enthralling once it becomes clear to the reader just how much Director Crispin and the super creepy Shelley twins are emotionally toying with Task Force Z’s well-meaning team leader; “You did good Hanna. He is reinvested in the project. Now give me back my security pass.”

Such duplicity and dishonesty really does permeate throughout this twenty-two-page periodical, starting with Red Hood’s traumatising resurrection via an injection of Lazarus resin at the very beginning of the book. The lightning fast ease with which the former Robin is dishonestly told he wasn’t saved from Deadshot's fatal gunshot wound by the fluorescent green “!#%$” solution strongly suggests it probably isn’t the first time the mysterious organisation’s physicians have surreptitiously used the drug on the anti-hero, and in all likelihood won’t be the last either.

Similarly as disconcerting but just as intriguing, is the way Todd seemingly completely falls for the raven-haired Hobart over a slice of pizza during an unauthorised “field trip” outside the government run facility. This incredibly word-heavy scene could easily have detrimentally slowed the comic’s pacing right down. However, the romantic bond between the pair is both well-penned and pencilled, and instead sets the reader up for a gut-wrenching shock just moments later when it becomes clear that Sundowner’s two-faced alter-ego was only paying Jason some interest because she was under instructions to do so.

Ultimately though, Issue Three of “Task Force Z” probably lives or dies upon the success of its frantic finale, which sees the ‘protagonists’ battling a horde of zombie reinforced Kobra cultists atop the GNN Tower in Old Gotham. This marvellously violent assault is extremely well sketched by Eddy Barrows, and contains some truly notable highlights, such as Red Hood’s cold-hearted murder of Bane in revenge for the super-villain having previously killed Alfred Pennyworth, and Todd’s blisteringly fast fight against the League of Assassins affiliate, Cheshire.

The regular cover art of "TASK FORCE Z" #3 by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira & Adriano Lucas

Task Force Z #2 - DC Comics

TASK FORCE Z No. 2, January 2022

With the notable exception of a short-lived shower room scene set at the Chop Shop involving Jason Todd and the disagreeable Doctor Shelley, Matthew Rosenberg’s fast-paced narrative for Issue Two of “Task Force Z” probably kept most of its readers on the edge of their seats. Indeed, it’s arguably difficult to imagine a bumpier rollercoaster of a ride than the one penned for this twenty-two-page periodical, as Batman’s former Boy Wonder lurches from one Undead disaster to another in the hope of thwarting the “organised ranks of Lazarus resin dealers in the world.”

Rather pleasingly however, all these high-octane antics genuinely seem to progress this mini-series’ overall storyline rather than help ‘pad out’ the plot, with even Arkham Knight’s desperate attempt to eat her partially frozen team leader’s brain leading into an uncomfortable conversation between the two later, after Astrid has consumed enough “medicine” to almost fully regenerate her usual zombified corpse. Such moments of character development are admittedly rather brief within “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow.” But they really help the reader begin to understand just why certain members of the cadaver-filled super-group are working for the mysterious Director Crispin, and even start to show Todd slowly warming to the more ‘human’ side of his comrades-in-arms.

In addition, the pulse-pounding action on display is incredibly well-written as it quickly becomes clear by the end of this publication that absolutely no-one is safe from a ‘fate worse than death’ in a world where a noxious injection can ‘easily’ return them to some sort of animated life. This perturbing possibility persistently hangs over the heads of this comic’s considerable cast like the sword of Damocles, so when Task Force Z inadvertently encounter a theatre packed full of the Kobra Cult’s latest members, the possibility of the “team of unstable monsters” lethally losing at least one of their number to the worshippers of the snake god Kali-Yuga is excitingly rather plausible; “Bane fell in a hole, not sure if he’s coming back. Miss Hobart might need an exorcist. But nobody tried to eat me, so that’s a win.”

Also helping to populate this book’s panels with plenty of scarred flesh and buckets of blood is Eddy Barrows, whose pencils do a terrific job of depicting many of Rosenberg’s more macabre moments. The slow, almost painful approach of a legless Arkham Knight slowly dragging her emaciated corpse towards a helpless Jason is incredibly well-sketched, as is Bane literally towering over a group of fanatical cultists and ripping their mortal bodies asunder whilst they ineffectively tear away at his formidable-sized frame with knives and bullets.

The regular cover art of "TASK FORCE Z" #2 by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira & Adriano Lucas

Task Force Z #1 - DC Comics

TASK FORCE Z No. 1, December 2021

Chock-a-block with some of Batman’s most feared opponents and an unhealthy dose of brain-devouring zombies, Matthew Rosenberg’s script for Issue One of “Task Force Z” probably landed reasonably well with its 65,700 readers in October 2021. For whilst the ‘Elseworlds’ narrative set some time after A-Day arguably lags a little during its second act, as Jason Todd spends his time sedentarily walking throughout the convoluted corridors of the mysterious Chop Shop facility talking to different people, “Death’s Door” still contains plenty of action and intrigue with which to beguile its readers; “Has our director Crispin been keeping secrets from us..?”

Foremost of these hooks is debatably this comic’s high octane opening concerning the arrest of Crazy Quilt by “Gotham’s last hope”, and Paul Dekker’s subsequent terrifying interrogation by a ravenously hungry Arkham Knight. The classic “D-List bad guy” actually proves himself to be something of a fighter initially, when he punches a “foot-wide hole” through Man-Bat during his unsuccessful escape attempt across the night skyline of Bruce Wayne’s home metropolis. But soon then resorts to his more familiar ‘timid’ self when his captors chain him in a bare room and cold-heartedly introduce a slow-moving, cowl-wearing zombie into his highly vulnerable environment.

Likewise, this book’s ending is similarly as surprising, courtesy of Red Hood’s undead team stumbling upon a heist by Mister Freeze, as opposed to the low-level smuggling operation their employer’s intelligence suggested they’d encounter. The American author does an especially fine job of penning the sheer chaos surrounding Todd when his unprepared people try to tackle one of the Caped Crusader’s most notorious super-villains, and ends the seemingly fatal encounter with a seriously dramatic cliff-hanger…

Eddy Barrows should also be given plenty of credit for making “The One Where Crazy Quilt Almost Gets Eaten” such a treat for the eyes. The Brazilian artist genuinely appears to try almost every trick in the ‘panel layout book’ to generate some sort of momentum with Jason’s series of conversational pieces. However, the illustrator particularly produces the pulse-pounding goods during Task Force Z’s titanic tussle against Doctor Victor Fries, with various characters getting shockingly smashed into tiny pieces of frozen flesh.

The regular cover art of "TASK FORCE Z" #1 by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira & Adriano Lucas