10.03.12 Reviews

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Danger Club #4 (Image): This has the potential to be the shortest review I’ve done around these parts in a long time. This book is excellent to the point that I’m nearly out of things to say, certainly one of the cornerstones of the Image New Wave in my opinion, and deserves the same type of buzz that critical stalwarts like Prophet have been garnering. From the top, the one page intros (something I’ve been mentioning every review since issue #1) are an absolute master class in efficient characterization. The colors in the book are absolutely crisp, reminding me of the phenomenal work that Dean White has been doing over on Uncanny X-Force. The writing is superb (imagine Warren Ellis doing post-modern Teen Titans), upending so many familiar superhero archetypes and subverting them to reveal some very interesting commentary. The art is dangerous and detailed and divine. The total package in this issue deals with “the enemy within” concept in a world where you just can’t trust anybody. It’s basically “Kid Batman” taking on “Kid Fury” as a “Bat-Wing” takes on a “SHIELD Helicarrier” piloted by a corrupt “Captain America” figure who also happens to be the POTUS, while assorted robots and other archetypes join the melee. Have I “used” “enough” “quotes” for you? Sorry, that’s what happens when skilled writers do meta-commentary. What I really love about this book is that it has a sense of inborn fatalism to it, characters ruminating that “we’re trying to save the world, but we’re probably all going to die” and absolutely meaning it. Nothing is hollow. Nothing is safe. Nothing is off-limits. This is one of those books that displays the true power of Creator-Owned Comics. Grade A.