Review by Ian Keogh

As an idea the Crime Syndicate go back to the 1960s where they were introduced as an alternate world’s Justice League. Instead of protecting their world, they’ve united to prey on it, exemplifying the maxim of power being right. This 2022 reboot spins from Dark Nights: Metal, and opens at a point where the various Crime Syndicate members have their spheres of influence, but haven’t yet united.

That they do briefly, Andy Schmidt designing a credible threat to bring egotistical, murderous loners together for the common good, but as this is a reboot we can’t count on things being the way they were before. Some things are, though. In previous incarnations Alexander Luthor has looked to end the Crime Syndicate’s threat, and that’s the case once again. This time, though, Schmidt extends the principle of Luthor being a good guy by giving him allies, although misses a trick. Instead of a good version of the Suicide Squad, most of them are unrecognisable.

Kieran McKeown has a way to go as an artist, but the talent is there already, making his a name to watch. Although there’s credit for a Superman homage in the opening chapter, it’s cluttered compared with the final chapter, by which time McKeown’s learned to break down a story more efficiently and dynamically. The anatomy’s also improved by the end, although from the start he designs distinctive new versions of the cast. Gary Frank illustrates a series of four page back-ups each focusing on a single member of the Crime Syndicate, and while he’s a better artist than McKeown, many other new artists would be completely shown up.

The faked references to previous stories become tiresome, but Schmidt has enough momentum to keep the plot on course over six chapters. These new versions of the Crime Syndicate are as morally bankrupt as the old, but because they’re being reintroduced and this is a standalone graphic novel there’s no guarantee who’s going to come out on top.