The real shame about The Movement is the hype surrounding its launch, tying it to the Occupy Movement and the political shenanigans thereto attached, as it’s something entirely different and more complex. Last time, one of Virtue’s people fell victim to the wrong people and was left for dead in a back alley. Will The Movement lose one its own? Your Major Spoilers review awaits!
SUMMARY
Pros
Some nice tense moments.
At least two shocking surprises that work.
Cons
I’m still not 100% sold on the art.
Some plot points are building awfully slowly.
[rating:overall]
READER RATING!
[ratings] 
THE MOVEMENT #7
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Freddie Williams II
Colorist: Chris Sotomayor
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Previously in The Movement: The streets of Coral City are not safe anymore. The police are corrupt, murderers walk free, and even the heroes aren’t always safe. Last issue, Mouse was found and brutally beaten by the members of a nefarious group known as The Graveyard Faction, but the most important question is: Why?
THAT’S WHY THEY CALL HER VENGEANCE MOTH.
As the issue opens, I find myself wondering if they haven’t actually killed Mouse off entirely, as they make a point of showing that he’s not breathing when Katharsis and Tremor find him hanging in the alley. It’s a tense moment, and one that works within the structure of the story, as even though the characters have powers, they’re of a limited enough nature that you believe they can be harmed. Virtue rushes out to help her fallen friend, and inadvertently gives The Graveyard Faction what they wanted: The location of the Movement’s secret headquarters in the warehouse district. The biggest issue that I have with this month’s installment is a slight lack of focus in the storytelling, as we start with the Cornea Killer, cut to Mouse’s plight, then back to the factory just in time for the G.F. to attack. Some of that complaint is undercut by strong character work, especially when Vengeance Moth finally reveals how she got her name, in spectacular fashion.
“THERE’S SOMETHING I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO TELL YOU… I NEVER ACTUALLY LIKED YOU.”
Freddie Williams’ work is more to my liking this time around, as his style seems to be tightening up, keeping the detail work that he’s known for, while maintaining more realistic (and, to my eye, more pleasant) facial work and body proportions. The issue gets back to scattershot again, cutting back and forth between Coral City Police headquarters and the battle between Vengeance Moth and the (somewhat two-dimensional) evil bad guys. The character work shines again, though, especially as Officer Yee finally stands up for himself to keep his corrupt colleagues from abusing their power, and as the issue closes, Vengeance Moth begs Burden to take on his “demonic” aspect again, after the team last issue performed an exorcism to rid him of his abilities. As the book ends, we are given a particularly frightening/awesome moment from Burden, standing alone against the Graveyard Faction (which is, admittedly, a great name.)
THE BOTTOM LINE: SOME STRONG MOMENTS IN HERE…
There are a lot of good moments in this issue, but it still doesn’t quite gel into the story that it obviously wants to be. With so many characters and so many plots ongoing, things never quite get themselves together, and even the big cliffhanger moment doesn’t keep the Cornea Killer and police plotlines from feeling like they cut off mid-sentence. Still, with the art growing on me, The Movement #7 builds on the goodwill of the previous issues, making me want to see where it’s all going, and making me enjoy the cast with all their flaws and foibles, earning 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. I hope Mouse is okay, too…
[rating: 3.5/5]