Booster Gold is captured by Wonder Woman. Harley is still on the run. Batman and The Flash are attempting to figure out who did it and Superman has a confession. There’s a lot packed into the fourth issue of Heroes in Crisis and it’s both good and bad making for rather mixed issue.

Writer Tom King continues his murder mystery with pages dedicated to the confessions from Sanctuary interspersed throughout. This exploration of the trauma heroes experience is some of the most interesting aspects of the maxi-series as it reminds us, the readers, that these giants are very much human. Heroes in Crisis #4 has some interesting ones, including Batgirl who references a certain infamous and controversial storyline, Blue Beetle who gives us some bromance, and Black Canary who… well it’s just solid in how it’s presented.

While the topic of PTSD runs throughout the four issues, the series is more focused on the murder mystery, who butchered the heroes in Sanctuary? This issue drops some hints as both the prime suspects, Booster and Harley, have their moments that point to their innocence… and maybe their guilt?

It’s an intriguing issue that really hints as to who may be behind it all with one aspect really being emphasized. Superman’s duality is explored as Lois has been receiving videos of the confessions from the medical facility (hello HIPAA violation). Videos that Batman claims have been erased. That’s clearly not the case pointing to the prime suspect, Sanctuary itself. Yes, there’s a chance that the program behind the facility is the actual murder and if that’s the case, this maxi-series may wind up being more eye roll than anything else. But, there’s a lot still to go in the story and things may still weave and change.

But, out of the four issues, there’s some things here that fans of DC Comics will want to see, primarily Booster Gold and Blue Beetle back together again. Why does that duo work so well? Beetle explains in the comic for those who might not “get it.” It’s some fantastic artwork and has me hoping for a Clay Mann Booster/Beetle series down the road. The presentation is solid and out of all of the moments, that’s the one that really stands out.

The art by Clay Mann is fantastic and the real draw to this issue (no pun intended). Along with Tomeu Morey on color and Clayton Cowles on lettering, the art is solid. There’s a proper focus and a few pages that really stand out. There’s the Batgirl confessional whose visuals tell you everything you need to know. There’s the pages of Booster and Beetle together which by the end will have you saying “f#!k yeah!” Then, there’s a 21 panel page between Batgirl and Harley Quinn that’s actually a little daring in how it’s told. But, there’s also some issues like a page spread of Lois Lane that’s a little too sexy to make sense at all as presented. It’s a bit pin-up and takes you out of the story.

There’s a lot to like about the issue with some humor breaking up the seriousness of the series and moments that have you looking forward to what comes next. Then there’s other moments like the Lois pin-up and a few scenes where it’s hard to tell when they happen that makes things a bit disjointed in flow and tone. It’s a mixed-bag of an issue for an otherwise intriguing event series and for a writer who generally nails these things. Hopefully it’s more a bump in the journey than a sign up things to come.

Story: Tom King Art: Clay Mann
Color: Tomeu Morey Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 7.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review