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BATMAN/DEATHBLOW: AFTER THE FIRE #1
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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DC Comics/Wildstorm Productions
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Pencils: Lee Bermejo
Inks: Tom Bradstreet
Colors: Grant Goleash
Letters: Todd Klein
Editor: John Layman
Price: $5.95 US/$9.95 CAN |
Deathblow. When the Jim Lee-character first appeared under the Image Comics banner, heseemed rather corny and cliched. Even the name is laughable... Deathblow. Sounds like the name of a phoney and very bad Sylvester Stallone movie. Or worse yet, Frank Stallone. When I heard that Wildstorm was pairing the character up with the Batman for a limited series, I remained uninterested. And then the names of the creators working on the title came along, and everything changed. I'm not surprised I enjoyed this first issue, given Azzarello's writing talents and an impressive pairing of artists, but I didn't expect to enjoy it quite this much.
Ten years ago, Deathblow was assigned to take out a gang in Gotham City, and he was aided in his efforts -- and saved when things turned bad -- by an International Operations agent. Today, that agent -- an old friend of Bruce Wayne's -- is slain through mysterious pyrotechnic means, and when the Batman investigates, he learns of a connection with a hired killer whose signature is a death card with two red lines: Deathblow.
Bermejo pencils. Bradstreet inks. One couldn't ask for two artists whose styles are more in synch. Gotham has never seemed more real than it does in this book. The detail and intensity that they bring to bear suits the two title characters perfectly. The realistic visuals boast a dark, foreboding look as well, and the muted colors reinforce that mood perfectly.
Azzarello's take on the Batman here is something of a James Bond type. It's not just the Batman who has all "those wonderful toys;" Bruce Wayne has plenty of tricks of his own. Bruce Wayne isn't just a mask either. He has old friends that he cares about, and he wants to do right by them. Furthermore, die-hard fans of Bat-continuity shouldn't look for references to current storylines. Azzarello has turned to a more universal representation of the iconic character here. Alfred is his butler. Commissioner Gordon is his pal on the police force.
What's most impressive about the characterization in this book is that Azzarello has managed to get me interested in Deathblow. He seems far more like a regular human being here than I expected. He's not a Punisher or Rambo knock-off. There seems to be more to him. I look forward to learning more about the character and to delve further into the mystery that's unfolding.
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