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DEADLINE #1
Recommended (8/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Bill Rosemann
Artist: Guy Davis
Colors: Dave Stewart
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Price: $2.99 US/$4.75 CAN |
So, a comic book about a journalist who follows super-heroes and villains around. And here I sit, a professional journalist who's been reading super-hero comics since he was a kid. Could I be coming at this book with a bigger bias? The question is... will that bias made it easier for me to connect with this book, or will it make be hypersensitive to potential inaccuracies? To be honest, I expected the latter, but the former proved to be the case. But the greatest strength of the book isn't the super-hero continuity or journalism lingo; it's charaterization. Rosemann offers up a character-driven story that's fun and intriguing.
Kat Farrell is a young reporter who's just starting out at The Daily Bugle after a one-year internship. She longs to tell the stories of regular people, but she's been stuck with the super-hero/villain beat, one in which she has zero interest. That changes, though, when she stumbles upon a string of murders. Seven super-villain types have turned up dead, and it's all connected to a noted judge who went missing a while back.
Guy Davis? On a title set in the Marvel Universe? Seemed an unlikely pairing, but it works. At its heart, this story is a crime drama, and as Davis proved time and time again on DC/Vertigo's Sandman Mystery Theatre, his sketchy style works quite well on crime drama. He's captured the splendor and filth of modern Manhattan nicely. More importantly, he conveys the youth and attitude of Kat Farrell nicely. As was the case on Dark Horse's The Nevermen (which Davis illustrated as well), Stewart instills a dark story with somewhat bright colors while still maintaining the mature, dark mood of the story.
So... do I think that Rosemann does justice to the profession of journalism? I have to admit, there are moments that he really hits the nail on the head, notably in the newsroom. There are bits and pieces that don't quite jibe with my experiences, but those have been in small towns in small newsrooms. Kat's dedication to her job and her curiosity comes off as a bit more adventurous than what one would normally see, but it makes for an exciting story.
There is a genuine tone in this book, and it stems not from Kat's job, but from her personality and the mundane details of her life. The nagging mother she moved to escape from, the effort to quit smoking, her apparent fascinating with Tolkein's books... these are the little things that make it easy to believe in Kat as something more than a two-dimensional image on the page. That's what's going to ultimately bring readers to this book and determine whether or not this four-issue limited series will be the beginning or the end of Kat Farrell's story in the Marvel Universe.
Note: Some comments in this review are reproduced from a previous feature on the website.
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