The world has been saved, revealing the existence of metahumans in the process. Everyone is scrambling to make alliances and establish power bases in this brave new world, and in the midst of all this, the Emerald Knight has a few choices to make – but are his choices really his own anymore? Crime Syndicate #4 is written by Andy Schmidt, penciled by Kieran McKeown, inked by Dexter Vines, colored by Steve Oliff, and lettered by Rob Leigh. Backup story written by Andy Schmidt, art by Bryan Hitch, colors by Alex Sinclair and lettered by Rob Leigh.
It’s been a month since the Crime Syndicate saved the world from a desperate, asylum-seeking Starro, but despite their name being on the title of the comic, the team still hasn’t come together. I’m normally not a fan of dragged out origin stories, but for once I don’t mind. The thing I’m learning about this look into Earth-3 is that it’s not about the evil, it’s not about the plot, it’s not even about a commentary on superheroes and the consequences of unchecked power. Crime Syndicate is about the mess.
Let’s get messy.
Meta Commentary
While metas like Johnny Quick and Atomica are still figuring out just what it means to wield power in a world that’s much more complicated than they ever knew, other people are quick to try and take advantage of the situation. Starro’s attack revealed the existence of metahumans to the world, and on Earth-3, heroism is less an ideal to uphold than it is a resource to exploit. Owlman, Ultraman and Superwoman are finally taking their first steps towards forming a superteam. Lex Luthor, aided by an extradimensional New God named Lonar, is working on the same. Sides are being picked, and the focus of this issue goes to the one man who hasn’t quite decided yet if he’s evil or good.
The conflict of Earth-3’s John Stewart is an interesting one. Unlike his other would-be teammates, he’s not outright evil. In fact, as far as he can tell, he’s a good man – but there’s the rub. The ring he wears, despite how often he disagrees with it, seems to have more influence on him that he’s aware of. He’s taken the idea of “protection” to its fascistic extension, exerting an iron fist over his home, Coast City, keeping its citizens in fear but unaware of how much he’s terrifying them.
On Earth-Prime, it’s Thaal Sinestro who used his Green Lantern ring to subjugate his people in the name of protecting them, so I love that it’s his noble, Earth-3 counterpart who tries to talk John Stewart down from the same situation. Sinestro’s yellow ring is able to silence John Stewart’s ring long enough for John to pull away from its influence, just long enough to gain perspective on what he’s done.
There’s no viciousness to John, something that’s been prevalent in the other Crime Syndicate heroes. There’s only an overwhelming sense of duty, one that’s eclipsed by his ever-growing belief that power is the only true means to protection. There is a coldness to him, caught as he is between being a powerful man and attempting to be a good one, and the choice he makes at the end of the issue makes me very interested in what comes next.
It’s Not Looking Good For Our Heroes
I had been having so much fun with the villainous side of things, that I forgot about the other half of what makes “evil” universes so enjoyable – seeing heroic versions of the villains. So far, we’ve only seen glimpses, but this issue hinted at a lot more to come.
The art team’s designs aren’t particularly inspired, which feels like a wasted opportunity. While there are occasionally exaggerated facial features that are jarring, what I am enjoying about the art is how unique every character feels. Lex Luthor looks for all the world like a stressed HR manager desperately trying to bring some sense of order to his world. Owlman is as gleefully vicious as Superwoman is gleefully dominant. The featured John Stewart, stoic, and increasingly lost within the power that’s defining him.
I’d gotten used to the silly, madcap fun presented in Crime Syndicate, but with this issue, enough minor intricacies are hinted at that make me feel like I could be on board with this series for the long run. Messy as it is, this series has more potential than I would have originally given it credit for. I’m intrigued at what’s to come next – and safeguarded from disappointment by knowing I never have to take this series too seriously.
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.
