Task Force Z #2

Task Force Z #2

DC Comics 2021

Written by Matthew Rosenberg

Pencilled by Eddy Barrows

Inked by Eber Ferreira

Coloured by Adriano Lucas

Lettered by Rob Leigh

After Task Force Z’s first bloodbath-err, sorry, first mission goes awry, Red Hood must rethink how to lead a team of unstable monsters against some of the most organised ranks of Lazarus resin dealers in the world. To manage this unruly bunch, Jason Todd is going to need a deputy in the field whom he can trust to be his eyes and ears…but on this team, such an ask isn’t limited to the living. A ghost from Suicide Squad past returns in the cameo no one will see coming (that’s a clue)! Plus: Bane’s rampage, the Resurrection Twins get carried away, and more clues to the secret identity of the team’s benefactor!

I’m still on shaky ground here but that’s okay. Here’s why, the Lazarus Pit is suddenly this tool that way too many people know about and use to their advantage. For this story instead of using it to resurrect the villains they feed them just enough to reanimate their corpses. Now it’s always been my understanding that the pit causes madness, uncontrollable rage and more side effects when the user emerges from its waters and yet here there aren’t any such noticeable side effects. So I’m a bit curious as to how it is possible to use the pit in this way at all, which hopefully we learn at some point in this story.

I’m enjoying the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter does a really nice job with their personalities. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story the more questions arise and the more answers we hope to see.

I like how we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. I also like how we see these layers open up new avenues to be explored. How did Kobra, who used to be major leagues with his own series once upon a time, end up with someone they were after? Unless Jason has something to hide (be ashamed of), let him strut around buck ass naked for us all to see. What this does is add some great depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are impeccably handled.

The interiors here are really strong. The linework is sensational, the attention to detail is superb and I’d like to see more of Jason, literally. How we see backgrounds enhance and expand the moments as well as how they work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story are extremely nice to see. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The fact that the inks and pencils look like one person did them all is remarkable as well. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work show an excellent eye for how colour works.

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I’m engaged in this book, almost against my better judgement, and I’m racking my brain and unless Talia, Ra’s or even Vandal are involved behind the scenes I’m going to be super shocked. Then again part of me is hoping for that to happen because I am a fan of being shown I can’t figure everything out. With some interesting writing and engrossing characterisation alongside these really superb interiors I’ve been thoroughly sucked into this series.