"Manhunted": Part Four--The Devil Inside
Writer: Marc Andreyko
Artists: Javier Pina(p), Fernando Blanco(i), Steve Buccellato(c)
Publisher: DC
I don't know exactly what's going on in Manhunter, but what it boils down to is Kate Spencer a.k.a. Manhunter battling a big blue Cylon that's out to violently decommission Manhunter tech, which somehow--as in blatant contradiction against continuity--got implanted in former Manhunter Mark Shaw. Reasons? I don't know. Let's go with penis envy since The Omac Project is really just a poor man's Millennium given extra hype. This brings up an intriguing question. If Lana Lang was infected with Cylon nanites, would she then become a Man O' Mac?
All you need to know is that this Manhunter issue is still fun, and just because the story peripherally links to The Big Stupid Event fans of the title need not leave the issue on the racks. The Cylon is drawn and written as very menacing especially toward a relatively low-powered heroine like Kate. Javier Pina energetically choreographs the battle, and there's an element of risk to three lives in the Cylon's way.
Though a neophyte at the super-hero game, Kate nonetheless comes up
with a practical means to send the Cylon back to Cylon headquarters. The narration reveals her thoughts about each change of situation, and her adaptations make perfect sense and tie into her career outside of costume. Why does a true vigilante bother saving the man revealed to be Dumas? "Extenuating circumstances."
Marc Andreyko gives Chase Cameron of the DEO a meaty guest role--almost like a director would give a guest-star in a television series. He also remembers some of the ambiguity associated with Chase's evolution, and he uses these elements to provide a surprising twist to an already interesting duel.
When the battle dies off, Andreyko brings back some of the threads
isolated to his book. The tabloid reporter looms ever closer. Dylan almost buys a clue. Kate gets some, and the sex is positively portrayed. While there's likely to be repurcussions, the sex isn't a set up for her demise, nor does she have sex to "feel bad."
This issue is a testament to Marc Andreyko's writing skills. I have
absolutely zero interest in what hole DC will dig for themselves through The Big Stupid Event, but I was still interested in Manhunter.
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