Writer: Steve Englehart Artists: Norm Breyfogle (a), Tom Smith (c) Publisher: Marvel Comics
Plot: Patsy Wlaker finds herself in the midst of Dormammu's plot to take over Hell. She wanders around and finds Umar, Dormy's sister. Plus, Mephisto, Daimon Hellstrom, and Satannish form an uneasy alliance.
Call me crazy, ("You're crazy!") but I'm rather enjoying this miniseries heralding not just the return of Patsy Walker but, of course, Steve Englehart and Norm Breygfogle. It has an energy I'm just not seeing from other Marvel comics these days, as my Marvel pull list is continually shrinking. I'm still a mite disappointed that the story on the surface resembles Nighthawk, which was another resurrected by dubious means dead Defender hangs out in Hell for a while three issue miniseries, which also came from Tom Brevoort's editorial office. It's clear, however, that Englehart has a very different goal in this story than Jim Krueger had for his rather preachy treatise featuring Kyle Richmond.
Englehart's goal with this book is simply to have some fun. Patsy has some truly bizarre lines of dialogue in this issue, including the tedious repetition of the term "hosed." At first it sounds like Englehart has simply gone strange with his scripting, and isn't up to date, but then I realized that's the point. Patsy's verbal jabs, her dated teen-soap Buffy lingo is just another aspect of how warped that character has become. After all she's been through, Patsy is clearly a little bit off her rocker at this point. Why else would she unflinchingly stand up to "Dormat?" The scene where she sheds her costume is quite telling.
There is an oddity, however, with the cameos by Hela and Pluto. "Hela and I be part of Pantheons." "We be family." Now, haven't read Thor at length since Warren Ellis' brilliant "Worldengine" story, but I don't recall the characters sounding quite so…jive. I'm reminded of the rather bloody debate on Usenet a few years ago about Dan Jurgens' use of Asgardian speech patterns. Sorry, Mr. Englehart, this part of the story made me laugh unintentionally. And while I was a bit surprised by the twist late in the book, the interplay between Hellstrom, Mephisto, and Satannish could have used a little more kick. In some ways they're practically the same bad guy.
Once again Norm Breyfogle shines on the artwork here. The action is fast and dynamic and the double page action sequence on pages 2 and 3 is terrific. Breyfogle's artwork hasn't looked this good in years, probably not since the early issues of Prime. Dormammu for the first time in a long time looks really cool. The expression on Patsy' face on page 12 is very well done. Tom Smith's colors aren't as bright as they were last issue, but he really outdoes himself at points, making me wish all Marvel books could be colored this well.
I was troubled in my review of the last issue that Englehart would chuck the inner turmoil of Patsy Walker for a issue-long fight scene in hell, with a character I wasn't too interested in as a villain. Surprisingly, he's able to make the subterfuge in Hell and Hellcat's journey through I more compelling than I would have thought possible, with accomplished art to back it up. If Englehart continues his streak with the concluding issue, the upcoming Big Town might turn out to be one of the better Marvel projects to be released this year.
