by Marc Andreyko, Michael Gaydos & more
collects Manhunter # 31-38
the premise: Manhunter heads to El Paso to investigate the disappearances of many young women, only to stumble into a horrible plot headed by a new version of an old foe.
the lowdown: Saved from cancellation not once but twice, Manhunter returns for the final issues of her ongoing series. The first six issues comprise a "topical" plot, as Kate searches for the aforementioned missing women and ends up at odds with the Suicide Squad, among others.
It's well-written for the most part, and though Gaydos' art isn't as slick here as it's been elsewhere, it's still solid work. Something about this series - well, *everything* about this series - has become increasingly generic. I've always felt this series was far less radical than its avid proponents seem to think, but one would have to concede that it at least felt a little different than your standard DC superhero book. Now - it's still well-done, but much of what set it apart is gone. Kate Spencer has gone from being a chain-smoking negligent mother with a violent streak to being yet another do-gooder. She's quit smoking. She's reconciled with her son. She's got lots of friends, in and out of the hero community. The violent streak is mostly gone. In a way I guess that's growth, but she grew out of a lot of the things that made her different. Now this is just another superhero book, complete with guest stars out the wazoo. It's still good compared to most of DC's current line, still has as good a supporting cast as any book out there - but it feels like its soul is gone.
The final two issues are set in the "future", specifically Ramsey's graduation from graduate school. They're mostly a sentimental look at where all the cast might end up, but there doesn't seem to be much point to the story other than sentiment. I guess that sort of thing does have its place, and it's a nice goodbye to the book's loyal fans - it's just not something I was dying to read.
the verdict: I wish I could be more positive on this, because it's really not a bad book. It's just no longer a really good book either. Whether concessions were made to make the book more mainstream, I don't know, but the book has lost a lot of what made it work for the first year or so.
1 comments:
I must admit that sometimes I just don't get why so many people latch onto a certain series. Such as certain forums ragging on better books but ignoring the flaws of their holy grails, such as this. I can understand likes, dislikes and opinions, but it sometimes feels like fans of lower tier books go out of their way to tear down other good books because they feel like their favorite is slighted. It annoys me.
Sorry. Small rant.
I was honestly never all that interested in Manhunter, so I wasn't really too sad to see it go. Never could get invested. I suppose it's nice that it's got backups in streets of Gotham though, so it's fans aren't left out in the cold. That's better than the series would have gotten two years ago.
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