I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, it's got a strong portrayal of its lead character, concerned with the well-being of her healed legs throughout a lengthy battle scene, struggling to open up to her new roommate and a date without revealing too much about
herself, and worried about her father finding out she's back in costume. On the other hand, I think Simone puts a bit too much of Barbara Gordon's narration into the book. The opening battle scene is superbly drawn by Adrian Syaf, through a rain-slicked cemetery, but the narration is a bit heavy. I like when Barbara is worried about her legs, but I found some of the other narration got in the way of presenting the fight as fluid and tense by slowing it down. I also appreciate that Simone is trying to give us a balanced book, with a good mix between Barbara pursuing the Mirror and dealing with her personal life, but a little bit too much happens here. The plot is drastically jumping, as Barbara makes great leaps in logic to discover exactly who the Mirror is, the personal losses that are motivating him, and what his next scheme is (and this is in addition to the opening fight with him, her date, her roommate interaction, her father finding out she is in costume again, and her growing beef with a female cop). Again, Simone is trying to create a tapestry and a world for Babs, and I wholly appreciate that, but it's maybe one plot element too much for a single issue. Looking at Batwoman, which has created a living, breathing world for its lead character to operate in, that title has taken a much more deliberate, well-paced approach to building that world. Here, the pieces are all strong, there are just too many of them. The roommate and date scenes are both quite strong (particularly the bizarre impression Barbara is creating for her new roommate), and I wish they could have had more time. Here, they are two scenes in a very busy issue. It's just a surprise to feel this way after a pitch-perfect first issue. The book looks great, the lead character is an interesting mess of conflicting feelings and priorities, and the stories all have potential, there's just perhaps too many of them for one issue.Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E#2 - Jeff Lemire/Alberto Ponticelli
Speaking of world-building, Lemire is doing so perfectly on this book, all the while advancing his story and presenting a humourous group of characters. This issue continues Frankenstein and his crew's investigations into the monsters attacking a small town, as they quickly get to the bottom of what is happening, while launching themselves into the next step of the fight. The strongest sequence is a jarring flashback into the past of Agent Mazursky, the amphibian hybrid who joins Frankenstein on an underwater exploration of the monsters. I
mean jarring in a good way; as the two jump underwater, we are abruptly taken into the life of Mazursky, whose first child passed away after birth, and whose marriage ended soon after. Plunging herself into her work, she created the group of human-animal hybrids that serve as Frankenstein's squad (herself included), after a failed first attempt that I can't help but think will turn up again in the book. It's a tender sequence of loss and the search for new meaning in life, and it oddly sits perfectly between the grotesque fight scenes that surround it. As with the first issue, this book remains fun, with an off-kilter sense of humour. When Mazurksy asks for a brain sample from the monsters, Frank literally plunges his hand into one of their heads and hands her a big lump of brain mass, then they continue on their merry way. He's so stoic and dismissive at times, that it sets the funny, but no-nonsense tone of the book well. I'm also liking the narrative device of the title, where Frank can pull up S.H.A.D.E. files, for quick background info that isn't intrusive at all. Ponticelli continues to be the star of the book, creating a rough, grimy, cramped, busy world, full of the snarling and unsavoury beasts that make up the main cast. But there's a softer touch to his expressions that sell things like the flashback perfectly. He excels on the underwater scenes, where hideous creatures and air bubbles collide for a messy fight sequence. Lemire's giving us a deeper picture of S.H.A.D.E. while zooming this story along, and it's a fun ride.Batwoman#2 - J.H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman/J.H. Williams III
This is just perfection. There are so many balls in the air here - Batwoman dealing with Batman's offer to join Batman Inc., Detective ChAse's arrival in Gotham and her ongoing investigations into Batwoman's identity, Kate and Maggie's developing relationship, brutal slayings at the hands of the Religion of Crime, the attacks of the Weeping Woman, and Kate's banter with her cousin Bette. It's all handled so gracefully, with fully-formed scenes moving these various plot threads along, as the
characters live and breathe within them. Kate is presented as such an interesting character, headstrong to prove herself as a hero, cold and angry in all matters relating to her family, and warm and playful when on a date with Maggie. I wasn't expecting the Detective Chase subplot to move so quickly, but I'm happy it is going somewhere, with her investigations into Batwoman's identity leading to some great scenes with Maggie (who, in turn, is resentful of Batwoman and wants to arrest her for being a vigilante). The villainous subplots are minor elements here, really just sitting on the fringes of a character piece right now, which I don't mind at all. They are played as unsettling scenes, and Williams' art conveys that well. The art on the whole is brilliant. The opening crime-fighting scene with Kate and Bette is bathed in bright yellow and blue, colours not typically associated with Williams' art on this book, but it looks wonderful. There continues to be a juxtaposition between the costumed and non-costumed scenes in the book, with the former looking ghostly and painterly and the latter more cartoony, with expressive faces and body language. I was waiting for this title for ages, and it is seriously delivering. A tapestry of characters, emotions, and plot lines have been created for Kate Kane to live within, all of which are perfectly paced and moving along nicely. More surprisingly, characters like Maggie Sawyer and Cameron Chase are sitting alongside Kate as fully-formed characters, and this solo title suddenly has an incredibly strong cast of female characters at its core.Grifter#2 - Edmondson/CAFU
I was quite impressed by the tone and pacing of the first issue. I remain impressed by this book, a fast-paced action and chase book, with an undertone of governmental conspiracy running through it. That said, there isn't a lot to grab onto here in terms of character or wider plot. It's a collection of cryptic scenes and fights, with ominous dialogue skirting around the actual plot, as the lead character tries to figure out
what he has stumbled in to. The plot twists, presentation of scenes, and mysterious nature of the book's events are very clearly drawing on LOST and its ilk, but tinged with a bit more action and a fast-pace. In the midst of DC's other offerings, it's actually refreshing to have this book, with its brisk pace, cinematic pacing and presentation, and fun action scenes. And even though none of the characters are jumping out as well-rounded yet, I do find myself drawn into the protagonist's plight and the way he handles being so out of his depth and one-step behind his pursuers. The cover hints that his pursuers are tied to the Daemonites. Now I know this is a concept from the Wildstorm Universe, where the Grifter character originates. I know nothing about it, but it doesn't seem to have a huge bearing on this story. I can enjoy this for what it is, a chase story with supernatural elements creeping in around the edges. CAFU continues to nail it on the art, with crisp, sharply defined characters set against locations that are deliberately sparse and ordinary. The action is very street-level, but he makes it feel exciting and fast-paced. It's a great looking book, the mood and tone are very well-conveyed, and the mystery is starting to take shape. I do hope that can happen a bit faster, but, for now, the book is successfully creating a strong look and feel.Superboy#2 - Lobdell/Silva
This continues to be the surprise of the DC Relaunch. I don't know what the plans are for this as an ongoing series, but I hope the cold, clinical lab setting, juxtaposed with bizarre field missions, keeps up. Even with a fight against three giant talking sharks, evoking an absurd tone, the book still feels alienating to the reader, in a good way. I'm struggling to find the
"centre" of the book, and, while that may turn readers off, I find the unfriendly tone of the story interesting. Superboy himself is a half-human, both biologically and in personality. He doesn't know how to speak to people, how to interpret both the kindness and the exploitation that faces him, and how to operate outside of controlled situations. At the same time, for every shred of warmth "Red" brings to the book, she is shut down by the scientists at N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and her opposite in Rose Wilson, a ruthless mercenary employed by the company. The fact that N.O.W.H.E.R.E. engineers mass destruction for the purposes of testing Superboy adds to the unfriendly feel of the book, with even "Red" essentially powerless to speak up about any of this. R.B. Silva is creating fluid, expressive, lively characters to populate this clinical world, and the effect is excellent. Like CAFU, his art has its own brand of crispness and clarity in bringing the script to life. He becomes creative with the page layouts on the shark fight scene, bringing a bit of fun to an unfriendly title. Against all odds, a superhero book written by Scott Lobdell has crafted its own unique direction and tone. The script is sharp and engaging and the unpredictable nature of the story will keep me coming back.
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