With new universes still cooling off from their recreation post-Death Metal, Earth-3’s mightiest supervillains have yet to come together as a team. The appearance of Starro seems to be forcing their hand, as the mind-controlling conqueror from the stars makes Earth-3 its latest target. The villains of this world aren’t about to go down without a fight, however – and things are about to get violent. Written by Andy Schmidt, pencilled by Kieran McKeown, inked by Dexter Vines, colored by Steve Oliff, and lettered by Rob Leigh, with a backup story by Andy Schmidt, art by Bryan Hitch, colors by Andy Sinclair and lettering by Rob Leigh.
The Crime Syndicate is one of those holdovers from a sillier age of comics that’s just too fun a concept to let die. It’s like Bizarro, and his backwards Bizarrospeak – it’s absurd and delightful, and every time it’s brought up in the modern age its inconsistencies start to show and you get a headache if you look at it too closely.
Crime Syndicate is having fun, there’s no doubt about it. It might be having a little too much fun, but if you can turn your brain off long enough to really sit back and enjoy the ride, there’s room enough to go along with it, for all its faults. One thing that bugs me, though, that’s a clear sign of how unsteady this ride is, is that it’s not until this #2 that I find out that this first arc is meant to be a Crime Syndicate origin story.
I had to go back to #1 just to be sure, and yes, sure enough, there’s no mention of the fact that none of the Crime Syndicate have ever actually met before. This may be a #1 issue, but there’s no reason to believe they’re not already a team – all previous incarnations of them have been, right out the gate, and there’s no mention of them being strangers. It’s sloppy storytelling, but the kind you’re clearly meant to forgive because nothing about this comic takes itself too seriously.
While the first issue was slightly clumsy in its attempts at establishing what kind of lives our villains were leading, #2 dives straight into the action, and is all the better for it. Superwoman – who in this revamped reality is her Earth’s Donna Troy – is especially fun; all smirks, bravado and an enthusiasm for violence. It makes you realize just what Justice League is missing – so few of them get to have fun doing what they do. The art really brings out that sense of fun. While the quality of the art isn’t all that consistent from page to page, you always get a sense of the scale of the action – metahumans and the otherwise empowered really getting to let loose in ways their more restrained counterparts don’t get to.
What’s also a real treat is the little editorial captions referencing other unpublished Earth-3 comics, with hilariously silly titles (last issue’s “Owlman: Hoo’s Hoo” remains my favorite so far). This new version of Earth-3 may just be getting started, but it does feel lived in. It’s a great shortcut – celebrating the complexity of comic book canon without actually having to write any of it.
This version of Starro may still be evil and world conquering, but the starfish’s mind-control seems to let our protagonists keep their brash personalities intact, something I appreciate. We’re not yet at the point where the team’s come together, but some hints of what’s to come are beginning to form. Owlman is every bit as insufferable as the Justice League pretends Batman isn’t.
This series has also featured backup stories, that seem to be looking into the twisted origins of our Earth-3 villains. While an equally silly story about how Owlman first realizes his code against killing doesn’t really matter, the Bryan Hitch art does lend the tale a certain amount of gravitas that manages to avoid being at odds with the story. Owlman has rarely looked better – the glow in his eyes is especially fierce.
Crime Syndicate knows exactly what kind of comic it is. When it works, it’s great – peppering in Easter Eggs for darker versions of familiar characters and celebrating all that makes comics ridiculous and engrossing. It makes up for the occasional dips in the quality of art, and the more glaring holes in its logic. Earth-3 has always best been enjoyed in small doses, so I’m not sure how long this series can keep things up, but now that things have ramped up, it’s one hell of a ride.
Armaan is obsessed with the way stories are told. From video games to theater, TTRPGs to comics, he has written for, and about, them all. He will not stop, actually; believe us, we've tried.
