Heroes in Crisis #4 Review and **SPOILERS**

The Secret is Out

Writer: Tom King 

Artists: Clay Mann 

Colorist: Tomeu Morey 

Letters: Clayton Cowles 

Cover By: Trevor Hairsine & Rain Beredo 

Variant Cover By: Ryan Sook 

Associate Editor: Brittany Holzherr 

Editor: Jamie S. Rich 

Special Thanks to: Seth Mann 

Cover Price: $3.99 

On Sale Date: January 2, 2019

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

After last issue, which was inserted into the proceedings late in the game, we’re back onto the story as it was originally conceived…I think. I guess we’ll never know what kind of shenanigans go on behind the scenes. But right up front, you can read my review of Heroes in Crisis #4, right here!

Explain It!

It looks like Wally West and Roy Harper aren’t the only Titans to have gotten their heads shrunk at Sanctuary: now, we see a nine-panel interview with Donna Troy. As usual, the interview gives no immediate information, aside from establishing that she was there at one point…and yet, what she has to say about storytelling, I wonder if it’s alluding to events that will happen later in the series. Meanwhile, Flash and Batman are on the case, using their detective skills to find out who did all the killing at Sanctuary: they disagree about whether it’s Harley Quinn or Booster Gold, based on evidence. Speaking of which, Booster himself is being interrogated by Wonder Woman…or, more literally, he’s confessing all he knows, while gripping the Lasso of Truth. And what he knows is not much, but at least he says he didn’t have anything to do with the massacre. So that takes care of two members of DC’s Trinity, but where’s Superman? Why, he’s gone home to boink Lois, is all. 

Pre-coitus, they talk about the fact that Lois has been getting all of this video of heroes at Sanctuary spilling their guts…well, not actually spilling their guts, that came later. They’re unburdening themselves, revealing secret identities and such, and to this point Lois has been suppressing them. But the time is nigh that she, you know, do her job and report on this important stuff for the Daily Planet. Batman, for his part, does not acknowledge that any video was ever saved—but clearly, someone was keeping tapes, somehow. Elsewhere in the Bat pantheon, Batgirl winds up a patient at Sanctuary, and in the present makes friends with Harley Quinn after quelling the hair-dyed clown’s bloodlust. She’s wearing her new costume, so Barbara must have been admitted in the last three months? Or sooner? Well, now they’ve partnered up for some reason. 

At the Hall of Justice, Booster Gold is in some kind of force shield jail cell chatting with Blue Beetle, who then breaks Booster out of the stir and takes off. Green Arrow, seeking vengeance for Roy Harper’s death, says some threatening, out-of-character stuff. And Batman? I’m pretty sure he’s being played by Will Ferrell. But not like, super-goofy Will Ferrell. More like the “straight man” Will Ferrell. In any case, Lois chirped out her article on Sanctuary, and the cat’s out of the bag. 

And I am still wondering: does this matter? Why is it that no matter what shocking events happen in the book, I still get the feeling that it’s inconsequential? I have no idea. I just don’t buy one stupid thing happening within, none of the characters ring true to past incarnations, and I feel like it’s all going to be whisked away as having happened within Mr. Mxyptlk’s snow globe or on an alternate Earth or some nonsense. Even if you were whole hog on the events happening in the book, this issue is still a dad. The big shocker is that the world knows of Sanctuary, and Batgirl teamed up with Harley Quinn. So if these are developments that whet your appetite, then sink your five bucks into this spicy pepper.

Bits and Pieces:

The big shocker is that the comic book public learns about things that happened three issues ago. If that doesn't grab you, how about an unorthodox pairing of hero and villain? Hah? Yeah, it seems like a dumb gimmick to me, too.

5.8/10