Today we're looking at Green Arrow/Black Canary #7 and Bloodrayne: Prime Cuts #2.
Bloodrayne: Prime Cuts #2 (of 3)
by Chad Lambert et al.
Few comics can adapt a videogame into a comic book well, but I think this issue really works.
There are three stories: 1) Rayne fights ninjas in the first one (the mandatory story) 2) Rayne explodes stuff with lots and lots of buttshots, but the story I wanna talk about is 3) the story from a lackey's perspective.
He's a lackey for the Cult of Kagan, but he's a lackey nonetheless. I thought this was a really smart story, because it took a look at the follower mentality.
These guys are the kinds of guys who followed Hitler, who followed Mussolini, who needed a figure so forceful because they themselves are meek and directionless.They're cannon fodder basically, but they're sympathetic cannon fodder, and it's really refreshing to see a story from their perspective.
So, overall: despite the many, many butts in the second story, yay for smart writing.
Three out of five Cults of Kagan.
Green Arrow/Black Canary #7
by Judd Winick and Cliff Chiang (<-- i wish)
Look at the cover there. It's gorgeous isn't it? Makes you wanna curl up in a ball of happy right? That little blurb is cute, too, don't you think?
I wish the inside were just as awesome.
In this issue, Green Arrow and Black Canary go to London. After a few nasty fights and bad jokes, they uncover that classic Bat-villain, Ra's Al Ghul, was behind Connor's shooting.
There were some nice jokes in here, particularly Ollie's ineptness at the alien's true identities. The video camera scene, though, seemed really farcical when you consider that Ollie's son is brain-dead. In the previous review, I mentioned a possible bipolar disorder in Ollie. This is totally more evidence for that.
I wish I were kidding. Oh dear god, I wish I were kidding.
This is penciller Mike Norton's first issue. Honestly, it's very disappointing. Let's start the slide:
That's not how you draw Dinah's face. Her eyes aren't that huge, her face isn't that short, and her lips aren't that full. It was so annoying to see this throughout the comic.
The next example is somewhat improved:
I'd like it if Norton could consistently draw like this: Dinah's face is longer, her eyes aren't as huge; her lips aren't too full. There's only one problem here: Dinah's left hand is gripping the katana the wrong way. Her thumb needs to be somewhere.
But wait, there's more. Let's take a look at Ollie:
That's not how he parts his hair.
And no, neither is this:
But at least this is more like it:
As with Dinah, if Ollie could be consistently drawn like this, I'd be a much happier reader.
But the real problem is the feet. These are examples of how the leg does NOT work:
Granted, I have no qualm against the way Norton draws Hal, so maybe I'm just really attached to the way Chiang drew Ollie and Dinah. I miss his art very sorely.
Thus far, I'm really disappointed with this issue, but that might be because I'm suffering from Cliff Chiang withdrawal.
What do you guys think? Could Norton stand some sharpening of his talent, or am I just pulling things out of my posterior?
It's been known to occur nine posts out of ten, you know.
