Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Huntress #1 of 6
DC Comics
Levitz, To & Dell
DC has begun to release its second wave on new books and some of them, like this one, are mini-series that seem to bubble up every few years. A few years ago a Huntress mini-series by Ivory Madison set the bar incredibly high for this character. It seems only natural that DC attempts to top that story by bringing back Paul Levitz to pen yet another mini-series for a character that has seen its share of re-works over the years. This issue differs from many of the other DC launches because the issue is almost entirely plot driven. Sure we get some understanding of the character but the book is light on introduction and the plot immediately takes a twist that launches into a larger problem. Overall I liked the book and think it has potential to be an entertaining read along the way and as a whole at the conclusion of the series.
Huntress arrives in Italy looking to follow up on a weapon smuggling lead that she's uncovered in Gotham. It's seems like a straightforward operation until she busts it up and realizes they are not only smuggling guns, but girls. Huntress then starts putting forth the impromptu second phase of her plan. It's a good start but it is a little hard to ignore the plot holes.
The most obvious is the fact that Huntress planned to bust up the guns at the port but not at the source. Was the plan to blow up the boat and head back to Gotham thinking the job was done? It sure seems that way because if she knew the people behind the operation she would have gone there directly. Another oddity here is that she takes out five guys involved in the flesh trade but just ties them up. She supposedly interrogates them but why wouldn't she either a) keep one of them or b) set them free and follow them to their liar and leader? This all may shake out in the coming issues but these things nagged me a little bit.
The artwork was fluid and very detailed. Of course, the book uses the character's sex appeal but since the character is not seen in the same way as Catwoman, it's much more reserved. That didn't stop the lingerie placement on the cover though. Overall, the highlight of the art was in the action sequences. The artwork is definitely a solid reason to check this book out.
I like the character and I plan to pick up this book. I'm not sure how interested someone who is indifferent to the creators or the character would be to this book though. It seems like this series is going to bring a nice layered plot set a slightly less intense atmosphere as Batman which I can get into. I think this book is a worth a look.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
