"Psychobabble": Mind Over Morals
Writer: Marc Andreyko
Artists: Javier Pina(p), Fernando Blanco,(i) Steve Buccellato(c)
Publisher: DC
This is the most boring issue of Manhunter I have read. Marc Andreyko focuses on Kate's role as defense attorney for Dr. Psycho. She does not kill a single criminal this issue. In fact she does not get a chance to hit anybody, nor do we even rate a moment of she, garbed in red, looking ominously down from a rooftop. The story's all talk and no action. Zero. Nada. Zip. For any faithful Manhunter reader such dearth comes as a massive disappointment.
Kate's defense opens with a flashback scene apparently from 52 in which Dr. Psycho and a bunch of generic criminals appear to take advantage of Superman's absence. Given the visual of the Daily Planet globe, there's no doubt that the scene takes place in Metropolis. The fact that Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are nowhere to be seen and a polyglot of second string characters defend the city further suggests this flashback occurs during The Trinity's vacation--which supposedly occurs in 52.
The presence of the flashback underscores one of the main problems with DC's wonky publishing timeline. It's difficult for a reader to become emotionally invested in a scene that relies on an event that hasn't yet happened. The links to 52 however are external forces affecting Manhunter. There are plenty of internal problems also unfortunately affecting the latest issue of Andreyko's otherwise brilliant series.
The prosecution during the trial of Dr. Psycho calls upon a witness whose testimony is too easily challenged. The witness has a history of mental problems, and the prosecution should have already been aware of them. Given so many others were allegedly affected by Dr. Psycho, in an event that hasn't yet happened, the prosecution should have been able to find a normal witness who was "possessed" by Dr. Psycho.
While Kate's defense does make sense, Andreyko delivers it in the most turgid prose I have read from this author. This may indicate Kate's disdain over being put in a situation where she must defend Dr. Psycho, but it's the reader who suffers the most. She just drones in monotone, and there's none of the peppery banter the reader expects from Andreyko in the dialogue.
When not focusing on Kate's defense of Dr. Psycho, Andreyko parcels out his story to the supporting cast as well as his developing subplots. None of the allotment interests because Andreyko does not spend enough time on any of the sections. Two women hit on Mark Shaw who finds Thor, a previous now deceased Manhunter's dog, before being knocked out by a mysterious figure. Dylan chitchats on the phone with Chase Cameron. The loony mysterious figure from last issue shows up to kill a couple in a motel, and Kate talks to Dr. Mid-Nite about her heritage; she's the granddaughter of the Atom.
Few of these scene-shifts offer any segues. The end result is a scattershot issue in tone and execution that tries to do too much and does too little. Manhunter is supposed to be action-packed not a dissertation involving events that have yet to happen and subplots that inch along with the speed of a bloated garden slug. Kate needs to hit something. So do I.
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