Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Don Kramer (p), Keith Champagne (i)
Publisher: D.C. Comics
Plot:
As the Crimson Avenger discovers that Wildcat is far more difficult to kill than her previous targets, we see Power Girl is also making an active effort to keep her teammate alive, but the Crimson Avenger relentless attacks have them both on their heels. However, the battle is brought to an end when Wildcat uses a pause in the battle to explain his actions, and the Crimson Avenger finds a loophole that frees her from having to kill Wildcat.
Comments:
This issue is rather impressive in that it's rare to see a battle quite this bloody in the pages of what is essentially DC's answer to old school super-heroics. In fact this is the type of battle normally reserved for a comic like the Punisher or Wolverine. However, the heightened sense of violence in this issue certainly helps to sell that idea that the Crimson Avenger is a very real danger, as if not for his ability to return from the dead, this issue would have been Wildcat's last appearance. Now personally I find Ted's ability to survive lethal attacks makes the character less interesting, as we now know that every battle Wildcat enters into will have a safety net that acts to keep things from ever getting too harrowing. In fact after Ted had returned from the dead a couple times during this issue my interest quickly shifted to Power Girl as her situation began to look more and more desperate as the issue progressed. This issue also offers up a couple subplots, as we see Alan Scott decides the best way to get Jesse Quick back in the game is to berate her and generally treat her like dirt, though it's a little early in the game to be overly upset with Alan's actions until we've been given the time to see the impact his words have made beyond making her cry. The situation with Doctor Mid-Nite was easily my favorite section of the issue though, as the character could certainly use some time in the spotlight, and hopefully the final panel in the scene in his lab is the start of something.
As for the art, Don Kramer is a fairly sound artist in that he has a good grasp on the fundamentals, from his tight figure work, to some fairly detailed work on the backgrounds. The action is also quite impressive, as the scenes where the Crimson Avenger's bullets are tearing into Wildcat and Power Girl are almost cringe-worth, with the panel where Ted takes a head shot being particularly effective. The pained expressions worn by our two heroes also do a convincing job of selling the idea that the Crimson Avenger's attacks are making a real impact. Now there are moments where the art could've been a little more expressive, as the scene where Kara turns down Wildcat's praise didn't really capture the humor of this moment, and Doctor Mid-Nite's sad expression when he's reminded of the life he used to have wasn't as convincing as it needed to be.
Final Word:
A fairly exciting issue, as the Crimson Avenger makes for a pretty formidable threat, and I certainly hope to see her again. Now Power Girl fans might be a little concerned that their character isn't bulletproof in this issue, and Wildcat doesn't exactly put on the most impressive of showings as the only ability that really makes an appearance in this issue is his ability to return from the dead. However, the scene where Kara manages to catch a bullet and send it back at the Crimson Avenger's way was a solid little display, and given those bullets were tearing into her pretty good, this issue also gives us a good look at her ability to absorb a great deal of punishment and remain in the game. Plus. while I found his explanation was a bit dodgy I did enjoy the idea that Wildcat wasn't innocent of the crime that the Crimson Avenger was accusing him of, and I have to say it was rather refreshing to see a hero admit to some decidedly questionable behavior. This issue also offers up an interesting possible romance between two JSA members, and I must confess this would make for an interesting pairing.
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