by Randy Lander

DETECTIVE COMICS #763 Highly Recommended (9/10) DC Comics "La Cucilla" Writer: Greg Rucka Pencils: Shawn Martinbrough Inks: Jesse Delperdang Colors: Wildstorm FX Letters: Todd Klein Editor: Bob Schreck "Josie Mac: Lost Voices Part One" Writer: Judd Winick Artist: Cliff Chiang Colors: Lee Loughridge Letters: John Workman Editor: Matt Idelson Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN There were a few strikes going in against the main storyline in Detective this month: First of all, it was a Joker: Last Laugh crossover, and while the main story has been okay for the most part, I'm not wild about crossovers. Second, I really dislike the turn that bodyguard Sasha Bordeaux's story has taken, into the familiar territory of "hero in training under Batman." And third, I had just finished his latest excellent novel about bodyguard Atticus Kodiak called Critical Space, which reminded me of the kind of story I would much rather have seen with Sasha. It's fairly impressive, then, that even with all those strikes, Rucka and Martinbrough turn in another issue of Detective that I greatly enjoyed. It doesn't hurt, of course, that the new backup story by Judd Winick and Cliff Chiang, starts off very well and shows potential of being as good as the Catwoman backup that has been running. I complained about the color in Detective for some time, and though I'm still not always wild about it, it has won me over. I've also resigned myself to not talking about it in every review, simply because I think I've stated my opinions on that matter time and time again. I suspect the same will be true of Sasha's change into yet another costumed crimefighter. It's an element of the title I don't like, but given all that I do like about the title, I'll just get used to it. This issue's story, a meeting between new protege Sasha and former protegee/rival the Huntress, was a conflict that most could see coming, and most could probably predict how that confrontation would go. Of course, Rucka manages to take what is a conventional and almost predictable premise and turn it into a terrific examination of Sasha and the Huntress, with an additional interesting character thrown in as a bonus. Much of the issue was spent wondering who Cucilla was and whether I was missing important information, but the explanation provided explains why we didn't know much about her and made the wondering a big part of why the story worked. Cucilla quickly went from an unfortunate lunatic into a very sympathetic character, and the way that Sasha dealt with the situation made her immediately more heroic when all the facts were in. That she wasn't sure what the situation was and that she made the right call anyway suggests a heroic nature, that perhaps she is more suited to costumed work than to her duties as a bodyguard. However, the heart of the issue is the tension between Huntress and Sasha, and that's a lot of fun. Huntress's taunting and bitter tone makes for an interesting flavor on top of Sasha's own doubts about Batman, and getting the Huntress's story fills out an important part of Sasha's development as a character. The story is made even more interesting because Rucka has written a lot of the interaction that the Huntress refers to, with Batman using her during No Man's Land and having a rather major confrontation with her during the Batman/Huntress mini-series. One gets the sense that Rucka knows how to pick up on plot threads and past character development without excluding new readers, a nifty trait for writers to have, especially writers of serial super-hero comics. Of course, I expect great things from Rucka and his collaborators on Detective. What I wasn't sure about was whether or not Judd Winick, best known for his humor work and for relatively light super-heroics, could handle a crime book of sorts. He does very well, using his gift for characterization to create a solid and well-developed background for lead character Josie Mac, complete with some vivid memories of her past. Chiang's artwork, reminiscent of Rick Burchett, Alex Maleev, Darwyn Cooke and others, is also beautiful, keeping with the tone that the book has set while maintaining its own original style. The two creators seem to be working quite well together, and their story, a cop drama with a bit of a super-hero twist, has got me hooked already. While I'm not always happy with every detail, Detective Comics remains a very strong book, and an example of how even 60-year-old super-hero characters still have life in them when a good creative team puts their minds to working on them. Email Randy Lander comments about this review.