Summary: In the wake of learning the origins of the Order of St. Dumas, Jean-Paul Valley and Azrael find a new source of faith...in themselves!
Plot: In last month's cliff hanger ending we saw Jean-Paul and Azrael reeling from learning that the "system" wasn't angelic in origin but actually came from Apocalypse and then they learned they had an adoptive brother known as Father Valley(who previously appeared in Ram V's run in Catwoman. This late into a series big reveals like that make me a bit nervous, but Watters has been batting way above average so far with this book so I went into this cautiously optimistic...and was rewarded with a fantastic way of tying the various elements together.  While the last few issues have been focused on exploring Jean-Paul as a character(especially his faith) and building his world this issue quickly switched from introduction mode to paying off on that development and while that could have felt jarring the journey actually came off very smoothly. Watters set up a lot: tying JPV to alien technology instead of divine power and losing his faith, competing faith based groups with their own warrior "angels" and now a dark reflection of what JPV could have been and he did a fantastic job of making all those plot converge in a way that felt both natural and exciting. This is a comic that knows when to create drama, when to go for action, how to have fun without sacrificing the drama, and how to maintain a sense of gravity without being self-serious. In other words, It does just enough of everything. It has perfect balance and perfect pacing, two things that are immensely important but frequently fail to get the attention they deserve. And with the conclusion next month I'm already chomping at the bit. This is seriously on of the best superhero comics on the stands right now and although it's just a mini series I really hope we get to see more.
Art: Normally I don't like it when a book is split between artists as I feel like it's almost always jarring...but I didn't even notice it here until I saw the credits at the end. I've double checked and I literally can't find a dividing line in the art which really makes me wonder how it was split; if it was at all. Were the scenes with Sariel and her armor done by one artist while the other did the scenes with JPV and his brother(there is a slight difference there)? Or Did Nikola(the regular artist) provide layouts and Collar finish? I honestly can't tell, but regardless of who did what or how much the work is excellent. There is an energy to every page that is just so much fun to read and I can't wait to see the action packed finale next month.
Grade:9/10