Wheeler tries so hard and it just doesn’t go quite right. Some of the problems are with the art. Broderick gets more ambitious in his composition with conversations, but he can’t visualize the stranger parts of the story.
The issue involves Chester and Liz picketing a toxic waste plant, Alec and Abby’s parenting troubles, little Swamp Babies, Alec versus the toxic waste plant… and some other things. Wheeler never takes a moment to breath; the issue’s only calm sections are when he’s using the exposition to talk about pollution.
He does manage to get some decent moments out of the issue, but not enough of them. He loses track of Liz and Chester–though he does write dialogue for Liz dialogue for the first time–and the Swamp Babies thing is never clear.
He’s trying with Abby but not quite succeeding.
For Wheeler and Broderick, though, the issue’s not bad.
CREDITS
Toxic Wonderland; writer, Doug Wheeler; penciller, Pat Broderick; inker, Alfredo Alcala; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Karen Berger; publisher, DC Comics.
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