|
TIGRA #4
Recommended (7/10)
|
Marvel Comics
Writer: Christina Z.
Artist: Mike Deodato
Colors: SotoColor
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Price: $2.99 US/$4.75 CAN |
I missed the first couple of issues of this limited series, but honestly, I wasn't exactly keeping an eye out for it either. What little I'd sampled of Z's writing didn't hook me, and I wasn't a big fan of Deodato's, Jim Lee-esque cheesecake art in the past either. On top of that, I've always found the title character to be a superficial, uninteresting figure in the world of Marvel's Avengers.
Damn... that egg on my face is starting to cake on.
This was a surprising story. With her thoroughly accessible plot, the writer has provided a completely new take on Greer Nelson, one that grants the character a greater depth. And Tigra's personality isn't the only thing to undergo a surprising and impressive transformation. Deodato's art has grown by leaps and bounds in a couple of years. This stands out as his finest work to date, and it actually has me looking forward to more.
The time has come for Greer Nelson to finally expose the Brotherhood of the Blue Fist, the secret organization within the police department that was responsible for her husband's death. Acting both as an undercover police cadet and as the feral heroine known as Tigra, she discovers a police academy instructor at the heart of the conspiracy... but she soon discovers that everything is not as it seems. She also faces a tough choice given her bestial nature: vengeance or justice?
When I first scanned through the pages of Tigra, I could have sworn that it was Stuart Immonen's soft, realistic and shadowy style that was bringing the title character and the supporting cast of New York's Finest (and not-so finest) to life. Deodato's art here has taken on a shocking added level of depth and detail. The characters look like people, not objects struck in dynamic, if implausible, poses. The colors reinforce that sense of depth and atmosphere with some nicely textured work.
Though overall the script is strong, there were moments that didn't quite sit well. Captain America's appearance at the end felt forced and interfered with a newfound sense of independence for the title character. Furthermore, Z plays up the cop pride angle a bit too much. It seemed to have more to do with the real-world events of Sept.11 -- which go unreferenced in this issue, anyway -- that with what Greer is actually feeling, especially in light of the widespread corruption that's at the core of the plot.
The book's greatest strength, though, is that the title character breaks out of her patterns into something far more down to earth. In just about every previous story featuring the title character that I've sampled in the past, she's either (a) trying to fight off a bestial bloodlust, or (b) trying to get laid. It made for a repetitive, boring and one-dimensional character, and I'm pleased to find that Z has breathed new life into this longtime Marvel heroine.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
|
