DC This Week Roundup – The Power of Fear

Kneel Before Zod #7 – Joe Casey, Writer; Dan McDaid, Artist; David Baron, Colorist

Ray – 7.5/10

Ray: Placing Zod at the helm of a prison ship has been an interesting touch, especially once it turned out that one of the prisoners was the Emerald Empress, an iconic Legion villain who seems…not all there right now. As Zod battles her and the ship comes under attack from a monstrous cosmic entity, a rebellion on the ship begins to emerge and pose another threat – one that Zod puts down with maximum force. One of the odd things about this series is that it seems to dramatically shift focus every few issues, setting up conflicts that are sent away from the title only an issue later – sometimes permanently, as we saw with Ursa. Of course, Lor-Zod is still out there – and currently hobnobbing with Sinestro, who makes his entry to this series in the cliffhanger. We know that Zod will be making his return to the Superman books in a big way soon, but so far this series mostly feels like it’s keeping him busy until then.

The Batman and Scooby-Doo Mysteries #7 – Ivan Cohen, Writer; Puste, Artist; Carrie Strachan, Colorist

Ray – 8.5/10

Ray: This series has always been a fun look into the kind of mysteries that are found around Gotham, but they often steer away from some of the city’s darker villains. That doesn’t stop Scarecrow from showing up with a scheme, though – to rob a local scent design company and create customized fear potions for everyone. It’s an interesting look at how Scarecrow could elevate his game for the modern era, with some unique fears being designed for both random civilians and for the Mystery Machine crew. There’s just one mystery at the core of it – why aren’t Shaggy and Scooby affected by any of these fear-based weapons when they’re already scared of everything? This issue doesn’t have the critical component of a Scooby Doo story – there’s no real mystery to it – but it does do a good job of incorporating the crew into a fairly classic Batman story with a lighter but still authentic Scarecrow.

To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.

GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.

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