Written by Cindy Goff
Art by Pete Krause; Jose Marzan, Jr; Albert DeGuzman; & Ray Murtaugh
Cover Art by Dusty Abell & Jackson Guice
SUMMARY:
DC Comics released this issue entitled “Black Plague!” for April 1995. Summoned from an awards dinner, a glammed-up S.C.U. Captain Maggie Sawyer doesn’t have time to change into battle gear. She must rely upon her tactical squad (including temporary recruit Lois Lane) to thwart mad scientist Dr. Noah Brazil’s scheme to detonate his supply of toxic gas into Earth’s atmosphere.
With Superman already diverted destroying enemy satellites, it’s up to Capt. Sawyer to single-handedly bypass Brazil’s impenetrable domed bio-sphere compound, evade his dangerous wildlife menagerie, and somehow save the day. While Sawyer’s squad tries to rescue her, the trapped S.C.U. Captain needs them to keep the explosive gas from escaping the compound’s rooftop hatch. In desperation, Brazil resorts to a shootout with Sawyer.
Meanwhile, Sawyer’s resentful ex-husband squabbles with their teenage daughter, Jamie, and Sawyer’s female significant other, Toby.
Note: Clark Kent appears in a single-panel cameo.
REVIEW:
Showcasing a middle-aged Maggie Sawyer in solo action is fine, but this one is for die-hards only. Specifically, Noah Brazil’s mad ecologist angle is straight out of the wonky villain cliché handbook. Still, Sawyer’s fans will likely enjoy her gutsy Die-Hard heroics without a cape.
The art squad’s visuals are consistently middle-of-the-road; however, the full first page close-up of Sawyer piloting a helicopter is excellent. What doesn’t make sense is why the well-drawn cover conveys Sawyer standing in a swampy pool of blood. The story includes some gunplay, but nothing so vile happens to suggest that kind of bloodshed. Otherwise, Sawyer’s cover action pose is spot-on. The inherent problem is that this storyline is pretty bland stuff — one read is plenty. While much of the Noah’s Ark terrorist plot is a shrug, it’s still PG-territory for younger readers — despite what the suggestive cover image and title are evidently trying to sell.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
None.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5½ Stars
