DCU Comic Book Reviews

AZRAEL #18

The Tears of God, Part Two:  Fire And Sand

May 2011

Written by David Hine

Pencils by Cliff Richards

Inks by Cliff Richards

Cover by Guillem March

Synopsis

In Afghanistan, Michael Lane (aka Azrael) confronts Sami Mousawi (aka Fireball), who is also known as Azrael.  The two fight.  However, they are unable to kill each other.  This was foretold by Fireball’s teacher:  Ra’s al Ghul.  Since it was Ra’s who sent Azrael to Fireball.  Just then, Fireball’s village is attacked.  His brother, Hakim, is killed.  Ra’s tells Fireball there is nothing left for him in Afghanistan.  Ra’s takes him back Gotham.  There, Michael returns to his family and back to his job as Azrael [to be continued in Batman #708].  

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This was an odd issue.  It is the last issue of the book, as it has been cancelled.  Yet, the story continues on in the next issue of Batman.  So the issue straddles that line between setting up what is coming next, but at the same time trying to provide some sort of closure for the book.  On the whole it doesn’t quite work.  The entire front part (the stuff with Fireball) is more telling than showing as we get the narrator explaining everything to us, as if the story had been re-written (perhaps to being cancelled) and the most expedient way to it is to tell us what is going on.  I say this because the second part feels forced, like Hine felt the need to end the book with some sort of summation, bringing in all of the characters at the end that were important to the book and to the character of Azrael.  But it doesn’t work because of the lack of buildup; they just kinda appear out of nowhere.  Without the proper context, it feels superfluous.  It has no connection to the rest of the issue (or even the current story).  Maybe with the upcoming crossover, Hine will get another chance to provide some type of closure that this issue tries to do, but fails. 

 

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