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BATMAN/DEATHBLOW: AFTER THE FIRE #1
Recommended (8/10)
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DC Comics
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Pencils: Lee Bermejo
Inks: Tim Bradstreet
Colors: Grant Goleash
Letters: Todd Klein
Editor: John Layman
Price: $5.95 US/$9.95 CAN |
If nothing
else, this book is drop-dead gorgeous, featuring what is sure to be one of the
best art performances in comics this year. However, it's also an interesting
mystery and action story of covert operations gone bad and the repercussions
that follow, even years down the road. This is, at least at first, more of a
Batman story than a Deathblow story, as the assassin is really only a part of
the story background rather than a prime motivator, but I expect that Deathblow
will see an expanded role in later issues. More importantly, though, this is
another good Batman story, and the bar for Batman stories is set pretty high
right now.
I actually have read the Deathblow trade paperback, and though the name of the
character no doubt conjures up images of the worst Image excesses of the early
90s, the character was actually quite fascinating. He's basically a government
assassin; no trick bullets or fancy gadgets, just a soldier with a couple of
guns and the mindset that allows him to kill enemies without a second thought.
Azzarello makes good use of Deathblow here, with some incredible, Hong
Kong-esque shootouts, and Bermejo and Bradstreet deliver the visuals in fine
style. I was particularly impressed with the hallway sequence, in which
Deathblow winds up shooting at adversaries on the other side of a wall. There's
an imagination and visual style that is seen in the best of Hong Kong action
films at work here.
Most of the story, however,
revolves around Bruce Wayne's unlikely involvement with the case years later. If
you can swallow Bruce having a friend in the intelligence services, one who
speaks freely about sensitive information around a well-known playboy (and I
can, but just barely), than the story will definitely draw you in. Although
Deathblow was relatively normal, his foes were anything but, and it seems like
the case Batman is investigating will take him up against a pyrokinetic, a
relatively low-level power that fits nicely into Batman's rogues' gallery.
Despite this being a prestige
format book, there's actually not a lot of solid information in this issue. It's
mostly setup, establishing the characters and dropping various hints about
various mysteries. However, while there may not be a lot of concrete
information, there are plenty of hints, some great action and terrific
characterization to draw the reader in. Bruce's moment alongside the bed of a
dying friend, where he reveals his identity in a very subtle way, is powerful
and effective, and as always Azzarello depicts a street-level atmosphere with
believable detail.
However, it's the artwork that
is the real star of the show here. Gorgeous, evocative, photo-realistic... there
aren't enough words to do it justice. The quality of the work is that usually
seen on painted covers, but with storytelling that is strong and clear.
Goleash's colors, a palette that is heavy on the brown, sets the mood without
looking washed out or flat, and there are some truly phenomenal moments, whether
it's a gunfight or an exchange of determined expressions between Bruce Wayne and
the antagonist of the piece.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
