Those with an interest in this graphic novel would probably be better off picking up a copy of Penthouse or Swank instead, because they seem to be designed to serve the same purposes. Chaykin's script and art, not surprisingly, is all about sex and titillation, and it's all about the objectification of women. To be completely fair, Chaykin certainly doesn't beat around the bush, pardon the pun. He makes no effort to hide those goals. The plot isn't even a secondary concern here. Furthermore, the art is often cluttered and confusing, and some of the characters look far too much alike. But what's really frustrating about this book is that the premise upon which it was marketed barely gets underway. There is no romance between costumed crimefighters, and what's left is a disappointingly ordinary super-hero story peppered with gratuitous profanity and sexuality.
Det. Delaney Pope is a rarity on the police force: a good cop who can't be corrupted. Lincoln Reinhardt is rarity in the legal profession: a rich, successful criminal defence lawyer who still believes in the importance of every defendant's right to a fair trial and skilled legal counsel, no matter how unpopular it may be. They're both important cogs in the machine of justice, but each views the other as the enemy, as representative of inherent problems in the system. But as the Skylark and the Iron Angel, they are the city's costumed defenders, and when the two heroes meet for the first time, they react to each other much more differently than in their civilian lives. Both are investigating a bloody robbery of $1 million in single-dollar bills, and they keep bumping into each other along the way in the night while hounding each other during the day.
The cover and a key scene early on in the book would have us believe that the developing relationship between Skylark and the Iron Angel is what this story is about, but it's really no further along by the end of the book than it is at the beginning of the second act. As a result, Chaykin really doesn't say anything new about super-heroes. He simply offers a thin and unengaging mystery that's so contrived that it's easy for the reader to lose interest.
Chaykin's trademark visual style will no doubt please his fans. I have to admit that I enjoyed his provocative, sexy artwork many years ago... when I was a teenager with no easy access to porn. Still, his style is distinctive and dynamic; I can't argue against that. But his character designs here are surprisingly generic, and a couple of the supporting characters look interchangable when it comes to design. The visuals in the introductory scene seem intent on confusing the reader. They make a lot more sense on the second read, mind you. But then again, the juxtaposed introductions of the two heroes isn't effective; instead, it achieves a dizzying effect.
Only one question remains at the end of this book: what was the point? The main characters are defined by their animosity for one another and their appreciation for one another while masked. We know nothing else about them, save for the fact that the guy gets all the sex he wants and the "angry" heroine is left unfulfilled... and she's pretty much the only character in this book who's not getting any. Their relationships are left up in the air at the book's conclusion, and there's no indication that this is any sort of ongoing series of graphic novels. Mind you, at about $25 US, I think the reader is entitled to their story, don't you?
