Some of the world's greatest heroes are trying to help and inspire people the best way they can but is that enough?
Yet another New Talent Showcase is here. I remember not being particularly impressed with the last one in 2017 due that they were overly-simplistic stories that didn't really showcase what these authors were able to create (or maybe that's what they were able to create and therefore, it was not worth reading). Unfortunately, this special does very little to differentiate itself from the last one.
The issue opens with a story about Batman written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson concerning the idea that Batman could create the violence he tries to fight and thus, people don't really trust him. Is a classic theme of the character and once that forces him to make tough choices, mind you, I don't think Bruce's voice was that adequate but the tone of the story is still sound. Amancay Nahuelpan follows the story appropriately in art duties with a really clean and clear tone.
Constantine receives a segment written by Sanya Anwar focusing on typical aspects of the character like his connection to the dark arts, how he always outsmart people and how at the end of the day, he has a heart despite of his flaws, expected but gets the job done. Priscilla Pretaites handles the art and she does a good job in terms of storytelling.
Joey Esposito arrives with a fun tale about Catwoman suited before the events of her "wedding" with Batman. The tone of the story is entertaining as it is but suffers from a bit of bad characterization from both The Penguin (who I doubt is much in favor of animal abuse) and Damian (who is way less competent than his usual self), as it is, I think it would have been better without those two characters. Dominike Stanton's pencils are really vibrant and fit the tone nicely.
Robert Jeffrey II handles a segment about John Stewart and how he has to fight racism in other planets and sadly is one of those examples where a story tries to give a message but ends-up saying very little. A whole planet is suffering at the hands of bigots and John and the writer make automatically the connection that the Earth is "also filled with racism, bigotry and hatred" and the answer is... to start beating the opposition the same way to solve the problem? Is that really the solution? Jesus. Leaving the fact that I don't like the vision concerning our world, the fact that John easily convinces the aliens to become violent is also hard to buy. At least Max Raynor's art was pretty.
Fortunately, Ryan Cady comes with a more enjoyable story featuring Zatanna who is trying really hard to make a name for herself and stop being seen as "Zatara's daughter" which is a classic conflict of the character and comes with a satisfying ending. Not to mention that it presents interesting scenes, flashbacks and supernatural elements. Isaac Goodhart's art is really good looking, full of beautiful characters and great storytelling.
Finally Magdalene Visaggio delivers a tale about Wonder Woman centered around the idea that she's always inspiring people which is pretty fitting for the character. Unfortunately, the writer follows one of my most hated writing ticks: Repetition. She constantly repeats the name of Wonder Woman saying that Wonder Woman can do anything, Wonder Woman doesn't lie, Wonder Woman inspires, etc. trying really hard to sell the character when there's no reason to it, we all know that, and of course, there's the fact that the constant use of the word becomes really noticeable and obnoxious. Aneke's pencils are really clean and vibrant though.
As a whole, I think this is better than the last showcase but at the same time, the similar short format doesn't allow to sell these creators that well. There are a few remarkable segments but sadly some of them leave a lot to be desired. I wish there was a better way to make new writers shine.
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