Originally published on Patreon
Task Force Z comes to a close in this, final issue, as the series and characters bring their stories to an end. But how does it all play out, and does it work?
I've been enjoying this series since it first began a year ago, but there are definitely times where it's felt like things haven't been great, and that the story is being taken in some odd directions. The previous issue was one that stood out as particularly poor for me, and as such I went into this finale a bit worried as to how it was all going to go. Luckily, it seems to have improved over issue 11, though isn't quite perfect.
Things happen very quickly in this issue, and whilst that's great for building up drama, it does mean that it ends up feeling a bit rushed at times. I can't help but think that perhaps the series could have shaved off some stuff in the middle area, and expanded this issue into two, and it may have felt a bit better. Because everything that happens in this issue happens so fast conversations feel very rushed, and stuff that feels like it should be big, emotional moments come across as a bit wooden and flat.
For example, Gotham starts this issue wanting Jason dead, he suffered at his hands and wants to get some payback. And in the course of one page Jason is able to explain why he beat Gotham's brain in, how he thought he was Bane, and why Bloom is the real villain, and turns Gotham around. It's a very big turn, and it felt a little too quick. The only thing that makes it work for me is the fact that Jason brings up Alfred, and when Gotham realises that Bloom used Alfred's memory to manipulate and hurt others he goes absolutely ape shit. Using Alfred's memory in the right ways will always work for me, and having the villain get the shit kicked out of him because he tried to use Alfred's death as a weapon ticks those boxes for me.
There are some other moments that seem to come and go quickly, character betrayals that turn out to be fake-outs, but might actually be real, that also might be setting up a future story feel like they should have been given more time and weight, but here we are I guess.
Speaking of setting up things, yes, there's the whole thing at the very end that seems to be implying that perhaps we've not seen the end of the zombie villains, but this issue also seems to be implying that perhaps Jason will be appearing in the next Joker series, as he's heading off to Joker's last known location. I hope so, as I always like more Jason stuff, and him appearing in that book would be great.
Overall, Task Force Z was a fun series, one that had a lot of great moments, but it also had some flaws too. But if you're not looking for a 'perfect' book, and just want something that's going to be fun to read and has some good stuff in it, this series is definitely worth your time.
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