REVIEW: ‘DC Love is a Battlefield,’ Issue #1

DC Love is a Battlefield #1 is published by DC Comics, written by Christos Gage, Cavan Scott, Crystal Frasier, Regine Sawyer, Mark Russel, Sina Grace, Maquis Draper, Pornsak Pichetshote, Tim Seeley, and John Ridley, art by Xermanico, Jose Luis, Juan Gedeon, Rob Guillory, Nik Virella, Karl Mostert, Pop Mhan, Chris Mooneyham, Rebekah Isaacs, and Amancay Nahuelpan, inks by Jonas Trindade, colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr., Rex Lokus, Ulises Arreola, Mile Spicer, Ivan Plascencia, Chris Sotomayer, Kurt Mitchell Russell, June Chung, with letters by Troy Peteri, Carlos M. Mangual, Marshall Dillon, Pat Brosseau, Wes Abbott, Andworld Design, Rob Leigh, Ferran Delgado, Travis Lanham, and Steve Wands.

It’s that time of year again. When the seasonal one-shots get sappy with stories of love. Yup, with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, DC Comics is releasing the to be expected oversized collection of brand new stories centering around love and the heroes who feel it. And while the bulk of DC Love is a Battlefield #1 delivers the kind of love stories one would expect, it’s not all roses in the multiverse. As some loves just aren’t meant to be.

This collection of stories opens up on the light and fun side, as readers embark on a naval adventure with Catwoman and… Matches Malone? Maxie Zeus, it seems is getting married aboard a cruise ship, and Catwoman is using her plus one to help Batman get the drop on some villains.

This fun, light-hearted adventure opens DC Love is a Battlefield #1 with a fun bit of energy. With Batman and Catwoman’s often on the rocks romance being the talk of the town, it is only fitting that it was chosen to be the opener for this seasonal special.

While the book opens with a light-hearted story, the finest moment it brings comes in the form of a lovely story focusing on Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. As sentimental as you could ask force, this sees the two long time lovers taking a walk down memory lane as they look back on some of their first moments together, as well as some of the biggest splashes they’ll make. This story ends on a beautiful heartfelt moment that might have brought a tear to my eye.

While most of the stories contained in DC Love is a Battlefield #1 are happy, uplifting love stories, this isn’t true for them all. The hardest hitting story centers around DC’s World War II hero Sargent Rock of Easy Company. His story centers around unrequited love that was never given a chance because the world was hostile to this form of love even existing. Happily, society has come a long way since the ’40s in its acceptance of how many people express their emotions. Sadly, we still have a long way to go.

Throughout DC Love is a Battlefield #1 10 stories looking at love; only one delivers a story that severely stumbles for me. This is largely for this story’s use of that antiquated term “the friend zone.”

I feel like I need to be clear here. I HATE this term. The implication that someone’s social connection to another is somehow fundamentally lessened due to the absence of a romantic component is bullshit. When looking back over my life, dear friends who are there picking me up and sharing my laughter with me are just as impactful and meaningful as any with whom I shared a romantic, physical relationship. The attitude that one gets “relegated to the friend zone” is trash. The whole of society will be better when we can finally put this toxic myth to rest.

Overall the art in DC Love is a Battlefield #1 delivers a variety of excellent performances from its many artistic talents. While a couple of its stories are not as strong visually as the others, nothing misses its mark so hard as to put a real damper on the book as a whole.

The final touch to this deluxe sized holiday-themed package is the lettering. Each story is allowed to flow smoothly thanks to the continuous strong performances from its numerous letterers.

Bringing it all together, DC Love is a Battlefield #1 brings a well-done collection of love-themed stories together for readers to enjoy. With only a slight misstep, its exploration of love, from various angles, delivers something for most readers looking for something to fit with the upcoming holiday.

DC Love is a Battlefield #1 is available now wherever comics are sold.