DC/RWBY #4 // Review
They bring the infection of strange magic. The warriors from another world know that they must remain far away from others. So what are they suddenly doing in the largest city in the U.S.? Things get just a bit more chaotic in DC/RWBY #4. Writer Marguerite Bennett continues a brief tour of the DC Universe for a group of warriors from Rooster Teeth. The story is drawn by Soo Lee with color by Marissa Louise. Bennett has been working through a very natural progression in her tour with RWBY. Themyscira gives way to Metropolis in another issue with a well-thought-out plot.
Wonder Woman aids the team in its conflict with Cheetah. She’s been overcome by an entity that feeds on negative emotion. It would be hard-pressed to find a vessel of greater negativity than Barbara Minerva--The Cheetah. Things settle down after the conflict. Wonder Woman lets Team RWBY know that they’re really going to need to be quarantined for the good of the world. They’re perfectly willing to comply until a portal opens, and a few tentacles drag them to Metropolis in the middle of the day. There are all kinds of people about. Things are about to get ugly.
Bennett has the series passing RWBY from setting to setting every issue. It would seem like a bit of a silly format once the rhythm gets going, but Bennett is doing a really good job of keeping it working into a fourth issue. The pacing of the plot keeps the story interesting as it drifts from location to location to location. The specifics of the mystical magic dynamics of RWBY and the infection are a bit awkward and clumsy, but the larger feel of the rhythm of the action is enjoyable enough to keep the reader from focusing too much on specifics. It’s a fun adventure.
The sketchiness of Soo Lee’s art feels a little stiff in a few places, but the overall momentum of a sweeping action epic is capably maintained through a fourth issue. Louise’s color fully embraces the atmosphere of a major metropolitan city in the middle of the afternoon. The imprecision of the sketchy detail is a bit frustrating at times, but the action and witty drama are maintained quite well. Above all, a distinct personality is maintained through another largely satisfying issue.
The series continues as the genesis of the crisis is revealed. There’s a perfectly logical reason for why everything is happening as it is, and it all seems to come together with some level of charm. Team RWBY articulates with the DC Universe in an enjoyable way. Given the right momentum, RWBY might even be a nice addition to the DC Universe as a whole. DC/RWBY doesn’t quite make the kind of impact it needs to form a truly novel connection between the two properties, but it’s been fun so far.
