Take a Chance #5
Posted: Friday, July 24, 2009
By: Ray Tate
C.E. Murphy
Adrian Syaf & Aleksander Sotirovsk(p), Jason Embury & Sinshar, Jason Embury(c)
Dabel Brothers
The conclusion to the China White story puts the police and master villain Carrie Nation on Chance's tail. Will her experience win out over the odds against her?
I do not know if the addition of Aleksander Sotirovsk has improved Take a Chance. To my eyes, it still appears that Adrian Syaf is doing the lion's share. There are only a few moments I may attribute to another artist. If I'm wrong, the styles nevertheless mesh well, and the entirety is definitely pleasing.
Syaf already exhibited an excellent sense of choreography, and he and his partner make Take a Chance fluid in terms of visual continuity. Each panel falls on another like a domino to create narrative. The final battle between Chance and Carrie Nation is fittingly frenetic, and the quieter scenes such as Nila's attempts to dissuade the cops from figuring out Chance's secret identity add to the overall quality.
Chance's secret identity is the core theme of the chapter. Carrie Nation and her minions know that Frankie Kemp is Chance. One of the lowlifes has told the police, and you might believe that the story can only go two ways: Frankie goes on the run, or Frankie goes to jail, but C.E. Murphy comes at the secret identity with a different perspective.
C.E. Murphy is a fantasy novelist of some repute. She only just branched out to comic book writing. Whereas everybody at Marvel appears to think secret identities are passé, and it appears that the writers at DC are following those lines of thinking, C.E. Murphy takes a fresh look at the protection of the secret identity. Every step Frankie takes to counter the accusations is ingenious. Some of the steps she takes are simple, but original. Others are nakedly cunning. The sleight of hand routine is just fascinating to watch. Each move Frankie makes distinguishes her as an experienced crimefighter, and while she appears to have doubts about what she's doing, she nevertheless accepts the life and all the trouble that comes with it.
Take a Chance is an underrated delight. It's a well-written, well-illustrated story focusing on the exploits of a masked crimefighter who lacks super-powers but has superior experience, intelligence and kickass skills.
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