This is the penultimate issue of Task Force Z. Over the course of the series, the story has been declining in quality, to a point that I’m not entirely sure anymore what Rosenberg is trying to tell us. There is no strong narrative focus anymore as we have been given cliffhangers that feel random; character reveals that feel random; and jokes that feel random. I’ve held onto hope that the creative team could still stick the landing until now. If this penultimate issue doesn’t bring all the pieces together for the big finale next month, then that’s it. Only a miracle can save the book then. So, yeah, let’s have a look…

There are a few things in this issue that I appreciate that I want to address before going into my critiques. First of all, I think that Jason’s reaction to Harvey lying to him is a pretty natural reaction, and I like that he decides to walk out and try to stop Mr. Bloom on his own. Of course there’s a bit more to it than that, which I also like, but I don’t want to spoil that for you. In any case, it should be clear that I think Jason is pretty well-written in this issue and that, for the most part, his actions and reactions feel authentic to who he is during the events of this story.

I’m also digging Harvey’s characterization. Two-Face is my favorite Batman villain and I was a little bit unsure about his characterization earlier on in the series, because he’s written pretty differently from what I’m used to. But within the context of this story, his characterization has been consistent and I find myself actually digging this good-guy Harvey Dent phase. I’m also surprised at how well the dynamic between Harvey and Jason works; they have really good and interesting chemistry that even serves to advance Jason’s character development over the course of the series.

Furthermore, the ending of this issue works in terms of plot structure, although I’m not entirely happy with it. One thing that it does really well is that it shows us that Bloom has gained the upper hand, and that is exactly what a penultimate issue is supposed to do in a series like this: upping the ante and making the threat really big, so that we’re all waiting anxiously for the final issue that will come out next month. We leave our heroes in a hopeless situation, which raises the question of how they are going to get themselves out of this mess and how they are going to defeat the main villain.

However, the flaw is that the cliffhanger hinges on a character taking a random action that sets off a bunch of explosives. In other words, the character taking this action completely hinges on chance, and I don’t think it even makes sense for this character to take this specific action. If the cliffhanger of a penultimate issue is essentially a plot hole, then I really don’t know how the conclusion of said series is supposed to turn out well.

But the biggest problem that this issue has is that it is still introducing new plot beats and new characters into the narrative. I'm sure there are cases out there where this works in a certain story’s favor, but as a rule of thumb I think that it’s generally a bad idea to reveal and/or add new stuff to a final act. Instead, the penultimate chapter has to bring all the pieces of the story together so that we’re all set and ready for the ending itself. Because this issue introduces a few new elements, we kind of stumble toward this series’ conclusion. I don’t see this as good writing.

But for all its flaws, the artwork is once again really good! Barrows, Ferreira and Lucas have been an incredible team for this run, and I’m glad that they are the ones that are actually drawing these last few issues in their entirety (we’ve switched up artists a bit too much during the middle section of this story). What I always really enjoy in Barrows’ art is that his page layouts are so dynamic that even static scenes (for example, when two characters are simply having a conversation) still look interesting at least. Every page has a slightly different layout, which makes for a very dynamic reading experience and it speaks to the creativity and story-telling skills that make Barrows such a good artist.

My favorite page in the entire issue is the one on which we see Harvey Dent running from Bloom. The backgrounds are basically empty save for some speed lines, which puts the focus entirely on Harvey while indicating motion. But what makes this page stand out to me is the expression on Harvey’s face: he’s terrified of Bloom yet Bloom’s only getting closer and there’s nothing that Harvey can do to stop this. While it’s still kind of over-the-top because of the larger-than-life characters that are depicted here, it is also perhaps the most human scene that we see in Task Force Z this month.

Recommended if…

• At this point you’re just riding this out, hoping for the best.
• You’re here for Barrows, Ferreira and Lucas’ great art.
• Mr. Bloom’s endgame is still intriguing to you and you have to know what happens next.

Overall: I don’t think this issue does a good job as a penultimate chapter. While the early scenes and the closing scene work in terms of structure, even the closing scene here is built on a plot hole. The scenes in the middle ramble on. Task Force Z started out strong, but this really shouldn’t have been a 12-issue series. This story could easily have been told in a maximum of 6, and stretching it out to 12 has only hurt the series as it went on. There’s only one more left, which will be out next month, and I will review it, but I’m not feeling optimistic to say the least.

Score: 4.5/10

Disclaimer: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.