Post by jugglingman on Jun 26, 2008 1:38:33 GMT -4
Huntress seeks revenge on those who have killed her family but feels conflicted about it.
The opening scene is a brutal and thrilling fight sequence! It concludes on a harsh emotional note that eventually propeks a reluctant Helena to Gotham but not before she meets her match in a highly effective assassin (a new villain for an on-going?). Ivory also treats us to an entertaining encounter with a key member of the bat-family. The rest of the book is peppered with other bat-character cameos sure to please the fans. These are handled adeptly and with obvious respect. For instance, Selina Kyle appears briefly; flirting with a man who will no doubt be parting with his jewelry by evening's end, victim of everyone's favorite cat burglar. Also impressive is Ivory's usage of religious imagery, not only as a motif but also as an effective way of highlighting the Huntress' contradicting characteristics and fluctuating emotional state.
Cliff Richards (pencils) delivers a more consistent look to his characters and continues to shine when the scenes call for close-ups of facial expressions. The range of subtle emotions this talented artist draws is nothing short of excellence! Norm Rapmund replaces Thibert on inks and he seems to not favor the large pools of shadow as much as Thibert did but it doesn't disrupt the flow of the art. The colors (Jason Wright) continue to be one of the best features of the book for me. Cinematic in tone, they evoke a strong sense of atmosphere and pull you right in to the setting of the scenes.
This mini keeps getting better and better as Ivory Madison sinks her teeth in deeper into the meat of the story. She is writing a classic superhero origin, wrapped in mafia noir, laced with action-adventure and flavored with her own exciting and entertaining spin. Don't miss out on the best surprise of 2008! Buy this book!
I grade it as great.
Grades
Excellent - Pure excellence, can't be missed.
Great - Majority of people should love it. But then again the majority of people like american idol.
Fine - An OK book, but not a must read.
Poor - A book with problems. You'll be thankful if you miss it.
Crap - Use to line your bird cage.