A heist rarely, if ever, goes the way it’s planned. Whether it’s in real life (see the Lourve heist making headlines) or in fiction (see every Ocean’s film ever made), you can guarantee that something is going to go sideways. Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #4 isn’t exempt from this rule, especially when the motley crew learns a shocking truth that Cheetah’s been hiding from them: on the day they’re planning to rob the Watchtower, Wonder Woman will be aboard!
Anyone who knows Wonder Woman or DC Comics knows of the bitter rivalry between the Amazing Amazon and Cheetah, so having them in the same place is a recipe for disaster. Cheshire even has a hilarious, yet accurate metaphor: “You’re like a Teen Titans slumber party! Loud and emotional and it always ends with someone sobbing!” As a result, Lian Harper gets pulled into the fray despite Cheetah’s reservations.
Lian has been one of the best parts of Cheetah and Cheshire Rob in the Justice League, thanks to her unique friendship with Cheetah, not to mention having a foot in both the superhero and supervillain worlds due to her parentage. Greg Rucka continues to explore that, especially once Lian finally gets on the Watchtower and has to distract Wonder Woman. I love it whenever Rucka writes Wonder Woman, particularly during DC’s Rebirth era and the insanely underrated Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia, and even though Diana’s appearance is brief Rucka still shows he understands her better than most writers.
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Rucka also ups the scale of the book considerably once the Justice League enters the picture, and so does Nicola Scott. Most of the book takes place in space, and she doesn’t hesitate to draw the Watchtower in all of its immense glory. Other pages feature the Justice League undertaking various missions, as well as two additional characters that could hinder the crew’s plans: Renee Montoya, also known as the Question, and Red Tornado. Tornado’s holographic visage hovers over everyone like a digital ghost, picking up all kinds of irregular data; Renee, on the other hand, is a detective trained to spot even the most minute details. It also leads to a conversation between the two that had me cracking up.
Topping off Rucka and Scott’s incredible work is Annette Kwok, whose colors take on a new dimension as the issue goes on. The moments in space are wonderful, thanks to Kwok’s use of a blend of blue and black that renders the vast ocean of stars both a magnificent and a terrifying sight. Finally, the inside of the Watchtower is depicted as a cool blue that’s oddly soothing in some parts, but also ominous due to the shadows it casts over certain corners.
Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #4 finally gets to the classic heist trope of “everything goes sideways”, resulting in fractures between its titular duo. Those fractures are probably going to widen in the next issue, considering Cheetah’s current actions.
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