Letters to GG16

[mockingbird]

tell us what you thought! Only one part left, and finally a confrontation

[>>Riz!]

what a cliffhanger.
RUN RENEE, RUUUUUUUN!!!
Again a fantastic issue that deserves 5 stars.
I loved that you mentioned the Jekyll/Hyde part of his personality.
Poor Ivy, or should I say poor house? I hope Harley and Ivy return there, because I started to love that old house with the big poisoned garden.
Can't wait for the next issue.

[eric the pilot]

This issue opens up a bit different from the last few, a little lighter-hearted and fun, which is sort of nice considering some of the dark stuff we've been shown the last few.

Harley and Ivy just bantering with each other is a ton of fun, it's nice to see sometimes that even when Ivy wants to be all serious and dour, Harley just says something so absurd, yet profound in its way, that Ivy can't help but pause - no matter what's going on in her mind. It may not be conventional, but there's definitely something to be said for the bubble-blowing metaphor, and if a reader takes nothing else away from the issue than that, at least they've learned something.

Even when the son of the late Mr. Livingstone shows up, you keep things relatively light without short-changing the importance of the scene. It's interesting to see Ivy so calm and measured, given how manipulative she's been in the last few issues with Renee in particular and especially great to see her aware of how much of an X factor Harley brings to any plan, which again seems to come from the various times they've paired up - nice to see that called back once again.

And of course the ending line to that scene had me laughing out loud, truly a classic.

You then go from the lighter, though not without substance, to more heavier topics, once again putting Harvey and Renee into the same place once again. Harvey steals the scene, Renee barely even gets the time to react as once again the battleground is more in Harvey's head than it is in the real world. He's getting more unstable clearly and we're seeing the scary prospect that for all our hopes, the darker personality that exists within him might well win in the end.

But even as that war is being waged and the reader is being taken along that roller coaster, the readers are offered one potential lifeline for Harvey continue, the idea that his friendship with Renee is strong enough that he openly challenges and is able to succeed in, if only briefly, sublimating that darker side. By extension, it gives the reader a sense of the sort of battle that must have been staged, however unsuccessfully, before the murders. Just continues to add on to the sympathy the audience is going to have for Harvey even as he continues to be compelled to do terrible things.

Renee is a detective and even if she isn't the star of the scene, you go out of your way as a writer to make sure she still gets her moments in, still working as a detective, even when she isn't trying to be, always under the gaze of that one horrible eye. You're able to give her more ammunition and reasons to suspect Harvey without seeming like you're info dumping, it all comes naturally and organically.

Once you bring the reader back to Harley and Ivy, things are a bit heavier than they were in her poisoned paradise, You're able to build up a good amount of perfectly natural tension while still playing with the stereotypical monster-hunter pitchfork and fire mob, which was pretty cool. Much as we know she's not guilty, and this is completely the wrong way to go about things in an orderly society, it is sort of nice to see the people of Gotham standing up for once and drawing a line in the proverbial sand with these psychotics running around their city.

Admittedly it's most likely not the sort of inspiration Renee and Babs are looking to have, but it's something you can build on all the same, and yet another thread of interest to follow down the line.

You made it clear from the offset that Harley and Ivy weren't going to get out of this one as simply as they did the last time, and the ending is a bit bittersweet, the house may be gone, but you show once again the bond between Harley and Ivy and it's about as much of a tender moment as we're going to get this issue, so I think the reader will take it gladly.

I absolutely loved what you did visually with Harvey's diary, I thought that was absolutely novel, the use of the different fonts and the presence of the two voices, both physically and also in the choice of language was really a neat touch. This just adds further to the tragedy that is Harvey Dent's situation, and one can only hope he finds a way to emerge victorious in his war.

There's also really nothing I can add to the ending, aside from the fact that it was nothing short of brilliant. Things are about to com e to a head in a big way and I for one can't wait to see how it all goes down.

Truly another stellar effort on your part, way to go!

[houseofmystery]

Those journal entries were scary. Again, I love your Two-Face, and his continuing characterisation is just fascinating, and the visual trick of the different font for his words? Bloody hell, it was good. Reminds me of a horror film, and your ability to switch tone of genre without skipping a beat is impeccable, a sign of true talent. I'll read the finale soon, and I cannot wait! Great cast of characters, great story, great creative team. Kudos to you.