Post by jugglingman on Jun 12, 2008 5:56:14 GMT -4
Huntress: Year One #3 review
After having finished reading Huntress: Year One #3 twice in a row, I sat down to write this review but couldn't. I went and made myself a cup of tea thinking, "how can I write a review that does this book justice? Write 'awesome!' 36 times?" If you've read my reviews for issues #1 and #2 you know that I love this book a great deal. However, this issue surpasses all my high expectations by a wide margin! I doubt that anything I'll write will convey my sense of being blown away but, here goes nothing...
Issue #3 of this series, which many are calling the best surprise of 2008, starts off dramatic and kinetic then provides a healthy portion of action and raw emotional density. After offering a few genuinely satisfying "reveals" and showing off more of Helena's no-nonsense attitude the book ends with a major tease that will have you simultaneously cursing Ivory Madison for making us wait another two weeks and praising her for cranking up the "awesome" factor yet again! Damn you Ivory Madison! Thank you Ivory Madison!
On the art side of things the first thing I noticed was the instant sense of drama and intensity in the first page. Cliff Richards hits his stride big time with this issue. He fixes what I felt was a flaw in the previous issues and draws each character consistently. Everyone looks distinct and for some reason, look like I imagine they should look. The layouts superbly underscore the scenes and the people continue to emote evocatively. The coloring and inking sensually stroke the eye and create the perfect atmosphere for this type of story. I literally stare for several minutes at each panel and each page. I'll quickly mention the lettering too. I don't like the gradients in the caption boxes but I do appreciate that words are not unnecessarily bolded. A common practice that I find most annoying. Bold is for emphasis only please.
Ivory Madison shows off more of her ninja writing skills here. The pace is swift and effortless and the dynamic beats are delivered with assassin-like precision. She tells a very immersive story populated with complex characters and relationships. If you like shades of grey, this is for you. Ivory creates a world that is constantly simmering with energy but never boiling over uncontrollably. In this issue, captions are used in a much more restrained manner. This may be because, within the context of the story we are in the "present" or it could be a stylistic choice. Either way, I feel it's a big improvement and serves the book much better.*
If you're not picking up this book but you enjoy street-level crime stories, you can't afford not to buy this!
*In relation to this, I'll go ahead and paraphrase part of an email I received from the writer of this book. She confesses to being guilty of idea overload. She was faced with the decision to make massive cuts to her subplots and reluctantly chose the "cram not cut" option. Though this might not have favored an optimum reading experience in issue #2 I do not see that problem in issue #3. I would venture to guess that it will pay off in the long run by adding more meat to the world of the Huntress. Personally I interpret this as Ivory showing that she would offer a great Huntress on-going in which she could explore more of these interesting nooks. I know of several others who have received nice emails from Ivory. This from a woman who, according to her blog, works 90 hours per week. She obviously respects and loves the fans. DC editorial, be smart. Put this gem of a writer on an on-going!
After having finished reading Huntress: Year One #3 twice in a row, I sat down to write this review but couldn't. I went and made myself a cup of tea thinking, "how can I write a review that does this book justice? Write 'awesome!' 36 times?" If you've read my reviews for issues #1 and #2 you know that I love this book a great deal. However, this issue surpasses all my high expectations by a wide margin! I doubt that anything I'll write will convey my sense of being blown away but, here goes nothing...
Issue #3 of this series, which many are calling the best surprise of 2008, starts off dramatic and kinetic then provides a healthy portion of action and raw emotional density. After offering a few genuinely satisfying "reveals" and showing off more of Helena's no-nonsense attitude the book ends with a major tease that will have you simultaneously cursing Ivory Madison for making us wait another two weeks and praising her for cranking up the "awesome" factor yet again! Damn you Ivory Madison! Thank you Ivory Madison!
On the art side of things the first thing I noticed was the instant sense of drama and intensity in the first page. Cliff Richards hits his stride big time with this issue. He fixes what I felt was a flaw in the previous issues and draws each character consistently. Everyone looks distinct and for some reason, look like I imagine they should look. The layouts superbly underscore the scenes and the people continue to emote evocatively. The coloring and inking sensually stroke the eye and create the perfect atmosphere for this type of story. I literally stare for several minutes at each panel and each page. I'll quickly mention the lettering too. I don't like the gradients in the caption boxes but I do appreciate that words are not unnecessarily bolded. A common practice that I find most annoying. Bold is for emphasis only please.
Ivory Madison shows off more of her ninja writing skills here. The pace is swift and effortless and the dynamic beats are delivered with assassin-like precision. She tells a very immersive story populated with complex characters and relationships. If you like shades of grey, this is for you. Ivory creates a world that is constantly simmering with energy but never boiling over uncontrollably. In this issue, captions are used in a much more restrained manner. This may be because, within the context of the story we are in the "present" or it could be a stylistic choice. Either way, I feel it's a big improvement and serves the book much better.*
If you're not picking up this book but you enjoy street-level crime stories, you can't afford not to buy this!
*In relation to this, I'll go ahead and paraphrase part of an email I received from the writer of this book. She confesses to being guilty of idea overload. She was faced with the decision to make massive cuts to her subplots and reluctantly chose the "cram not cut" option. Though this might not have favored an optimum reading experience in issue #2 I do not see that problem in issue #3. I would venture to guess that it will pay off in the long run by adding more meat to the world of the Huntress. Personally I interpret this as Ivory showing that she would offer a great Huntress on-going in which she could explore more of these interesting nooks. I know of several others who have received nice emails from Ivory. This from a woman who, according to her blog, works 90 hours per week. She obviously respects and loves the fans. DC editorial, be smart. Put this gem of a writer on an on-going!