THE ORDER #2
"It's Our World"
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writers: Jo Duffy & Kurt Busiek
Pencils: Chris Batista
Inks: Dan Panosian
Colors: Gregory Wright & Color Arts
Letters: Randy Gentile
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Price: $2.25 US/$3.65 CAN |
This shift in direction has certainly brought a lot more energy to the title that was once known as Defenders. There's a greater sense of gravity, but the lighter side of the book hasn't been lost either (just expressed through different characters). Unfortunately, the less traditional, Authority-esque tone of the first issue fades here, and a more traditional super-hero tone takes its place. This is still a good super-hero fun but the suspense has faded a bit.
Dr. Strange, Namor, the Hulk and the Silver Surfer continue their efforts to essentially enslave the entire planet so there will be no peril to magically force them to work together in the future. After checking out the new Defenders headquarters (prepared by Valkyrie's parents), Hellcat, Nighthawk and Valkyrie seek out the source of their friends' changes in personality and methods, thanks to some psychic help from Papa Hagg. On the astral plane, the three heroes must face their former teammates.
Though he's done some work for Marvel before, I usually associate Chris Batista's name with early issues of DC's Steel series. He did a capable job on that book, but his work here is much stronger. His figures aren't as bulky and squat anymore. They're more lithe and dynamic. His work here reminded me of the art of Mike (Exiles) McKone and Jose Luis (Deadman) Garciz Lopez. Either he's developed considerably since Steel, or Dan Panosian's inks agree with him. Or both, maybe.
The silliness of the Defenders' connection with the snooty Parringtons adds a bizarre tone to the book, but it balances the more serious and stilted tone of the main plotline. And their super-computer is named after a childhood imaginary friend? Weird, but oddly welcome.
The shift in the main Defenders' style in the first issue really caught my attention, but here, their darker sides come off as more of a plot device. Duffy and Busiek emphasize how much these four heroes are acting out of character, and it leads me to expect a typical brainwash/mind-control story development, typical super-villain fare. I was much more into the story in the first issue when I thought something a little different was coming our way.
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