Rogues (2022) 

Writer – Joshua Williamson

Artist – LeoMacs 

Leonard Snart aka Captain Cold has given up his life of being a supervillain for a humdrum job at a factory. When he overhears management mocking him behind his back, he snaps and goes home and rebuilds his cold gun. He locates and recruits other Rogues for the heist of the century – robbing Gorilla City of its long-rumored gold cache. Can they work together long enough to attain wealth beyond measure? Can they find a way in and out of the most fortified place on the planet or will Grodd get the last laugh on these bad guys? 

I took a hiatus from the TO Comic Book Club for a bit and I came back to read and discuss this mini-series with Steve and the other fine folks in the group. 

When I saw this was the pick for December 5, 2023, I actually had to look it up online to see what it was about. The synopsis piqued my interest and I read it furiously over four days. 

The Rogues are probably the best supervillain group in the DC Universe and getting a glimpse into their future was an eye-opening experience. Much like heist movies, the montage of Captain Cold recruiting the Rogues is exciting because we see what they have been up to after giving up their respective lives of crime. There are some familiar faces and brand-new ones. It wouldn’t hurt to reacquaint yourself with the Rogues before diving into the story. Once the group finds Gorilla City, the action kicks into high gear and never lets up until the very end. There were a few twists and turns I didn’t see coming that made me stop and think what could possibly happen next before continuing along with the story. 

When it was time to give my final thoughts on the story, I said that I enjoyed LeoMacs art, especially the facial expressions he draws of the characters. They are very emotional and animated. Next, I said that if it was possible, I would have liked to read the story in physical format. The mini-series was originally released in a large, oversized magazine style and I thought it would have been apropos to read it that way since Hoopla resized it for digital consumption. The larger format is used for stories with over-the-top action like Superman – The Last Days of Luthor or Batman: City of Madness. Lastly, and speaking of Batman, I said that it was nice to see other characters BESIDES Batman getting the DC Black Label treatment. I got a laugh from everybody with that comment and I told them I have mentioned the same thing in my comic reviews. DC Comics needs to spread the love and give other characters time to shine. Villains don’t normally get the main focus of series or titles and it’s refreshing to see their side of the story for a change. 

I overlooked this mini-series when it was originally released. I remember seeing it on comic shelves but I passed it over. I am so glad this was one of the group picks for December and I made time to read it. It was a nice break from writing out Christmas cards and getting gifts and packages together to mail out. 

I would give this mini-series a 4/5. There are some cliched tropes when it comes to heist movies and stories that pop up once and awhile in the narrative but having the Rogues as the crew and heavies of the story adds an extra spice to the proceedings. Rogues is chock full of action and drama with an ending you didn’t see coming. 

I would definitely check to see if your local library has it available to borrow first. If all else fails, check it out on Hoopla. 

If you are interested in joining the Discord group for the TO Comic Book Club, I’ll post the link in the comment section.