Writer: Jay Faerber
Artists: Jamal Igle (p), Scott Elmer (i)
Publisher: DC
Plot:
The book opens with Jade waking up to discover that Kyle is off saving the world with the JLA, and as she staggers her way to the coffee pot she overhears a news report about a massive fire down on the docks. However, after she skips her morning coffee she arrives at the fire to discover it's already been extinguished. However when Jade learns that the person responsible for putting out the fire is Killer Frost, we see Jade has to step in and point out to the celebrating firemen, that this one good deed doesn't erase the fact that Killer Frost is a wanted criminal. However, while Jade is arguing the point we see Killer Frost uses this distraction to knock Jade for a loop, as she blasts the distracted hero into a nearby warehouse. We then see Donna Troy arrived on the scene to dig the unconscious Jade out of the rubble, and after these two women deal with Killer Frost who was spoiling for a fight, we see Jade decides that just because Donna was Kyle's old girlfriend, shouldn't keep them from becoming friends. We then see the two take some time out to enjoy a coffee at Radu's, and the two manage to have a healthy conversation about Kyle that leaves the two of them fast friends.
Comments:
I recognize that their sitting down to discussing the issue is more in character for both these women than it would've been for them to allow the tension of this situation build into something serious. However, speaking strictly from the point of view of a reader who reads comics to be entertained, I have to say that six straight pages of Jade & Donna Troy being super-nice & understanding with each other didn't make for the most exciting of reads. I mean I'll credit Jay Faerber for bringing up the big sticking points that could've resulted in tension, such as the time when Kyle stood Jenny up so he could spend time with Donna, but all he really does with these ideas is defuse them so they won't give rise to anything resembling conflict. So in the end instead of playing up the more exciting elements of this meeting, what we've gotten is a simple mending of the fences between Donna & Jade, as Jay Faerber plays up the idea that Donna is one of the most understanding & conciliatory heroes out there. As I said above this portrayal is perfectly valid, as Donna is forever playing the peacemaker over in the Titans, but the lack of conflict in this scene made for some rather lackluster reading.
Now regular readers of my reviews will probably point out that Jay Faerber did take the time to deliver a pointless slugfest earlier in the book, with Killer Frost playing to role of the disposable baddie. However, this encounter does seem quite content to simply resolve the encounter with a much expedience as it can, as Killer Frost is defeated so quickly one has to ask themselves how in the world did she ever hold her own against a powerhouse like Firestorm. I also have to question the idea that Donna would be able to deflect Killer Frost's ice blasts with her bracelets, as it would be a bit like trying to deflect a fire hose blast with a baseball bat, in that the beam should flow around the bracelet, not bounce off it. Now I like the idea that it was Jade who instigated this encounter with her openly hostile demeanor, as Killer Frost was is a fairly chipper mood when Jade first arrived on the scene, and if Jade hadn't adopted such an openly confrontational approach right from the start, she could've handled this encounter far more smoothly. I also enjoyed the idea that Donna just happened by, as in a town with this many heroes, it makes sense that a raging inferno would bring more than one out of the woodwork.
Jamal Igle turns in a fairly impressive issue as there some great art to be found in these pages, from the lovely shot of Jade racing into action on the credit page, to Donna Troy's arrival on page eight. There's also some nice work on the little details, like the opening page where Jade wakes up to find Kyle is missing, or the page where Kyle makes a failed attempt to sneak out of Radu's without being seen. The art also does some nice work detailing Killer Frost's wildly fluctuating mood, as the change from content, self-satisfied wannabe hero to raging homicidal lunatic is nicely captured by the art. Also while the battle is resolved rather quickly, the powers of the characters are displayed quite nicely, as Killer Frost looks quite dangerous, and while Jade's constructs are a bit unimaginative, the battle simply doesn't last long enough to make too much of a fuss over this detail. The one area where the art is a bit weak however is on its facial expressions, as the talking heads sequence between Jade & Donna is undone by some rather ugly, overly exaggerated expressions. I mean Donna's face when she tells Jade why her & Kyle got together is very weak, but the damage is made even worst when we see Jade's reaction to this little insight.
Final Word:
For a filler issue this is a pretty solid issue, and while its arrival is a bit odd, as the opening page makes it clear this issue takes place before Kyle's Ion adventure, it still holds up pretty well. The one thing that does make it stronger than the average filler issue is that it does deal directly with a plot point that was established by the regular writer, and by issue's end the tension that might've existed between Donna & Jade has been resolved. Now I must admit I do feel that Jay Faerber could've added a little more excitement to the issue, as about the only real shocker this issue delivers is the revelation that Jade & Donna are two very easy going women who wouldn't know how to hold a grudge if their lives depended on it. The fight against Killer Frost was also a bit underwhelming, as it's over before it can really get started. Still there's some cute moments in this issue, and some fun observations made during the conversation between Kyle's past & present girlfriends.
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