Now here's a review I expect nobody to read. Mainly because nobody has been reading this series, which is why this is the last issue. That's kind of sad, because the main(and only!) thing I liked about the DC reboot was the fact that it brought the Wildstorm characters into the mainstream DCU. Unfortunately, DC has seemingly zero interest in actually promoting those characters, which has led to most of the Wildstorm related series being canceled. Seriously, would it have hurt DC to add a big name writer to this series? A Scott Snyder, or Grant Morrison, or somebody of that stature, instead of Rob Liefeld!? Eh, no sense crying over spilled milk or missed opportunities, here's the final issue of Grifter.
Grifter #16(Final Issue):
Summary: Grifter meets up with the ever mysterious Warick in a zoo, where Warick was apparently going to provide some insight into how/why Grifter had powers. Apparently, Grifter was created/enhanced by Daemonite scientists who were opposed to the Daemonite highlord, Helspont. Helspont learned of this and destroyed everybody involved with the program, with the exception of Warick and Grifter. Grifter doesn't buy the story and tells Warick he was done with this whole Daemonite mess, which leads to Warick punching Grifter in the face and then running away... Wha?! Grifter, annoyed by the whole, "being punked out" thing, chases after Warick, eventually catching up to him at the polar bear habitat. However, the two are approached by Amanda Waller and a mess of agents. Waller tells the two that she had been following Grifter with the purpose of capturing Warick... For some reason... Warick tells Grifter he was on his own from now on, before hopping into the waiting claws of the polar bears, leading to him getting mauled to death. From there, Grifter visits his brother Max's grave and states that he needed some time to himself before deciding what to do next. This issue(and series) concludes with Helspont watching as Grifter walks away from his brother's grave, knowing that one day their paths would cross again.
Thoughts: Hmm... I have to say, the addition of Warick to this series? Terrible. I didn't get it when he first popped up, and I still don't get what his purpose was after finishing off this series. All he'd do is pop up, say weird stuff, and disappear. Or in the case of this issue, pop up, say weird stuff, and then get eaten by polar bears... Seriously, who would choose suicide by polar bear?! That's gotta be WAY low on my list of potential ways to off oneself... I didn't like the reveal that Grifter was supposedly a Daemonite science experiment, and I didn't get why there was no Voodoo in this issue... Wasn't she supposed to be co-starring in this series after her book got the axe? Bottom line? DC has seriously botched the origins of so many of the ex-Wildstorm characters... Why couldn't we get the Grifter we saw in the Wildstorm U? Or the same Voodoo? I don't know... Oh well, here's hoping we end up getting a WildCATS series sometime down the road, written by a big name writer. And here's also hoping that when that time comes? They ignore 90% of what went on in this series. Good-bye Grifter. Here's hoping they do right by you down the road...
Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.
Showing posts with label Grifter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grifter. Show all posts
Monday, January 21, 2013
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Grifter #9
Welcome to Hell, Grifter, as Rob Liefeld has taken over the story-writing for this series... Because he did such a fantastic job with Hawk and Dove, which was, you know, canceled... On the plus side, the hugely underrated Frank Tieri is doing the dialogue for Liefeld's script, so this might not be THAT bad...
Grifter #9:
Story Points:
-Grifter is being attacked by the Daemonite's special super-soldiers.
-Grifter is saved by some woman named Nico(Cheshire?)
-Nico tells Grifter that the Daemonites were planning a full-scale invasion of Earth, thus explaining the presence of the super Daemonites.
-Nico also tells Grifter he is the “chosen one” and that's why the Daemonites have targeted him
-Grifter agrees to help Nico and meets the rest of the human resistance, including Deathblow.
Thoughts: Wow, this issue was WAY better than it had any right to be... Seriously, I was expecting garbage and I got a good story. I mean it wasn't great, but we had some good groundwork laid here, and hopefully this series will continue to impress. I was a bit annoyed by the “Nico” thing... Is she Cheshire or not!? Other than that? No real complaints, much to my utter shock.
Score: 7 1/2 out of 10..
Grifter #9:
Story Points:
-Grifter is being attacked by the Daemonite's special super-soldiers.
-Grifter is saved by some woman named Nico(Cheshire?)
-Nico tells Grifter that the Daemonites were planning a full-scale invasion of Earth, thus explaining the presence of the super Daemonites.
-Nico also tells Grifter he is the “chosen one” and that's why the Daemonites have targeted him
-Grifter agrees to help Nico and meets the rest of the human resistance, including Deathblow.
Thoughts: Wow, this issue was WAY better than it had any right to be... Seriously, I was expecting garbage and I got a good story. I mean it wasn't great, but we had some good groundwork laid here, and hopefully this series will continue to impress. I was a bit annoyed by the “Nico” thing... Is she Cheshire or not!? Other than that? No real complaints, much to my utter shock.
Score: 7 1/2 out of 10..
Monday, April 16, 2012
Grifter #8
Another day, another new comic review. Tonight we'll start with the latest issue of Grifter, and the final issue before Rob Liefeld's awful shadow falls over this series...
Grifter #8:
Summary: This issue opens with the Daemonites crashing an airplane Grifter was in, killing his ally, Sofia, in the process(guess Liefeld didn't want her around). From there, Grifter's brother, Max, shows up, possessed by a Daemonite... Wait, what?! Max attacks Grifter, who parries Max's blows, trying desperately to reach some part of Max in his body, but only finding the Daemonite. After a while, Max manages to get in touch with Grifter telepathically and begs Grifter to kill him, since he didn't want the Daemonite who had possessed his body to kill Grifter. Grifter sadly obliges his brother, and shoots him in the head(I guess Liefeld didn't want him around either!). From there, Grifter shoots several other Daemonites, while another Daemonite seems pleased by this, since this Daemonite seemed to believe that now Grifter would take out his vengeance on the Black Curate, leaving the mystery Daemonite to pick up the pieces.
Thoughts: Woo, this comic was ALL over the place!! I don't blame the writer, Nathan Edmondson, at all though. He was forced to wrap up ALL of his stories in this one issue, which made for a VERY jarring experience. Sofia dies like four pages in, and then we discover that Max had been possessed by a Daemonite, even though the last we saw him(last issue I think), he was back with the government... And then Grifter has to kill Max, giving us a death with little meaning, since Max has appeared in a grand total of four comics, mostly on a page or two. Yeah, he's Grifter's brother, but other than that, we have zero reason to care about him... You know how sometimes I'll say a comic was rushed? THIS comic right here was the embodiment of a rushed book! It's hard for me to even give this issue a proper score, since everything was so forced, and not because of the writer, but because of the future co-writer... I guess I'll just go with a middle of the pack number and leave it at that. Before I end this post though, here's one good thing... Liefeld isn't actually writing this series, he's just doing the scripts, with Frank Tieri doing the writing, so maybe Tieri can make Liefeld's ideas somewhat good... Oh, and the best thing? Liefeld isn't drawing this series! Because if he was, I'd have no choice but to drop it!
Score: 5 out of 10.
So wait, Max is a Daemonite now!? I thought he was in the hospital!
Grifter #8:
Summary: This issue opens with the Daemonites crashing an airplane Grifter was in, killing his ally, Sofia, in the process(guess Liefeld didn't want her around). From there, Grifter's brother, Max, shows up, possessed by a Daemonite... Wait, what?! Max attacks Grifter, who parries Max's blows, trying desperately to reach some part of Max in his body, but only finding the Daemonite. After a while, Max manages to get in touch with Grifter telepathically and begs Grifter to kill him, since he didn't want the Daemonite who had possessed his body to kill Grifter. Grifter sadly obliges his brother, and shoots him in the head(I guess Liefeld didn't want him around either!). From there, Grifter shoots several other Daemonites, while another Daemonite seems pleased by this, since this Daemonite seemed to believe that now Grifter would take out his vengeance on the Black Curate, leaving the mystery Daemonite to pick up the pieces.
Thoughts: Woo, this comic was ALL over the place!! I don't blame the writer, Nathan Edmondson, at all though. He was forced to wrap up ALL of his stories in this one issue, which made for a VERY jarring experience. Sofia dies like four pages in, and then we discover that Max had been possessed by a Daemonite, even though the last we saw him(last issue I think), he was back with the government... And then Grifter has to kill Max, giving us a death with little meaning, since Max has appeared in a grand total of four comics, mostly on a page or two. Yeah, he's Grifter's brother, but other than that, we have zero reason to care about him... You know how sometimes I'll say a comic was rushed? THIS comic right here was the embodiment of a rushed book! It's hard for me to even give this issue a proper score, since everything was so forced, and not because of the writer, but because of the future co-writer... I guess I'll just go with a middle of the pack number and leave it at that. Before I end this post though, here's one good thing... Liefeld isn't actually writing this series, he's just doing the scripts, with Frank Tieri doing the writing, so maybe Tieri can make Liefeld's ideas somewhat good... Oh, and the best thing? Liefeld isn't drawing this series! Because if he was, I'd have no choice but to drop it!
Score: 5 out of 10.
So wait, Max is a Daemonite now!? I thought he was in the hospital!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Grifter #7
First up tonight we'll be taking a stroll over to the DC side of things and check out the latest issue of Grifter. Now, if the cover is any indication, this SHOULD be an awesome comic... But the cover of comics are often deceptive(especially lately...) so we'll see...
Grifter #7:
Summary: That piece of the Stormwatch ship that fell to Earth a few issues of Stormwatch back is discovered by Grifter, who could telepathically hear it calling out to him. Before Grifter can figure out what the ship was trying to warn him of, Midnighter(!) appears on the scene, demanding to know what the hell Grifter was doing there. Grifter doesn't want to tip his hand to Midnighter since he didn't know who Midnighter was(on account of Stormwatch being a secret team), but does mention Daemonites, which aren't known to exist by the general public. Midnighter tells Grifter that he had stumbled onto the wrong secret, and couldn't let him leave alive... Midnighter is all sorts of awesome... Grifter takes offense at that and pulls a gun, at which time Midnighter proceeds to disarm and beat the hell out of Grifter. Every move Grifter attempts is countered by Midnighter, all while the piece of the ship is begging Grifter to reach out so it could give him a memory transmission. Grifter manages to get Midnighter to knock him INTO the piece of the ship, at which point Grifter receives the transmission from the ship, much to the chagrin of Midnighter. The transmission tells Grifter about the existence of Stormwatch, amongst other things, and when Grifter tells Midnighter this, Midnighter decides that Grifter had to die. Meanwhile, we discover that Grifter's brother had survived the helicopter crash from a few issues back and was looking for revenge on Grifter. Back with Grifter and Midnighter, Grifter comes to the conclusion that there was no chance in him defeating Midnighter, so he successfully fakes his death, which convinces Midnighter to leave. With Midnighter out of his hair, Grifter ponders what he had learned, namely that a Daemonite of immense power had escaped from the fallen piece of the Stormwatch ship... Realizing that the only way to get close to the Daemonites was to convince the world he was a villain, Grifter heads off to do just that. This issue ends with Helspont(!!) deciding that he had make Superman an ally of the Daemonites, since Supes was the main threat to Helspont and his band of Daemonites conquering the Earth.
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this comic... It was a good, fun read. Midnighter was all sorts of awesome here, as Nathan Edmondson really wrote both Grifter and Midnighter well in this one. Sure, this wasn't Midnighter's comic, but in a fair fight? Grifter has a snowball's chance in Hell at defeating Midnighter, and that's what we got here. It's a shame that Edmondson is getting lifted from this series soon, because he has things finally starting to fall into place, and I can see good things in the future of this series.
Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
Midnighter is frighteningly awesome.
Grifter #7:
Summary: That piece of the Stormwatch ship that fell to Earth a few issues of Stormwatch back is discovered by Grifter, who could telepathically hear it calling out to him. Before Grifter can figure out what the ship was trying to warn him of, Midnighter(!) appears on the scene, demanding to know what the hell Grifter was doing there. Grifter doesn't want to tip his hand to Midnighter since he didn't know who Midnighter was(on account of Stormwatch being a secret team), but does mention Daemonites, which aren't known to exist by the general public. Midnighter tells Grifter that he had stumbled onto the wrong secret, and couldn't let him leave alive... Midnighter is all sorts of awesome... Grifter takes offense at that and pulls a gun, at which time Midnighter proceeds to disarm and beat the hell out of Grifter. Every move Grifter attempts is countered by Midnighter, all while the piece of the ship is begging Grifter to reach out so it could give him a memory transmission. Grifter manages to get Midnighter to knock him INTO the piece of the ship, at which point Grifter receives the transmission from the ship, much to the chagrin of Midnighter. The transmission tells Grifter about the existence of Stormwatch, amongst other things, and when Grifter tells Midnighter this, Midnighter decides that Grifter had to die. Meanwhile, we discover that Grifter's brother had survived the helicopter crash from a few issues back and was looking for revenge on Grifter. Back with Grifter and Midnighter, Grifter comes to the conclusion that there was no chance in him defeating Midnighter, so he successfully fakes his death, which convinces Midnighter to leave. With Midnighter out of his hair, Grifter ponders what he had learned, namely that a Daemonite of immense power had escaped from the fallen piece of the Stormwatch ship... Realizing that the only way to get close to the Daemonites was to convince the world he was a villain, Grifter heads off to do just that. This issue ends with Helspont(!!) deciding that he had make Superman an ally of the Daemonites, since Supes was the main threat to Helspont and his band of Daemonites conquering the Earth.
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this comic... It was a good, fun read. Midnighter was all sorts of awesome here, as Nathan Edmondson really wrote both Grifter and Midnighter well in this one. Sure, this wasn't Midnighter's comic, but in a fair fight? Grifter has a snowball's chance in Hell at defeating Midnighter, and that's what we got here. It's a shame that Edmondson is getting lifted from this series soon, because he has things finally starting to fall into place, and I can see good things in the future of this series.
Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
Midnighter is frighteningly awesome.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Grifter #6
And now it's time to take a look at the first DC comic I'll be reading this week... That comic? Grifter.
Grifter #6:
Summary: Sofia sets out to find and rescue Grifter from those damn Daemonites, and arrives at the secret Daemonite ship just as the Daemonites summon the Black Curate(who I guess is... um, a really important Daemonite?). Sofia drops a few grenades around the Daemonite ship, which allows Grifter to get free of the Daemonites in the confusion. Grifter goes to rescue his captured girlfriend, Gretchen, but she is snatched away from him by a random Daemonite and sucked into the portal the Black Curate was trying to emerge from. With that, the Daemonite ship explodes just as Grifter and Sofia get clear of it. So now, Grifter has lost a girlfriend and a brother to the Daemonites, which, by my standards at least, make them his enemies for life.
Thoughts: Eh. I STILL say we should establish ONE major Daemonite threat(Helspont or Hightower anybody?), as opposed to various competing Daemonite threats and whatever the hell the Black Curate was. At least in the beginning of the series... This series could really use some focusing... Maybe the upcoming crossover with Superman and Stormwatch will provide us with that focus.
Score: 6 out of 10.
The Black Curate must be important. He speaks in the third person!
Grifter #6:
Summary: Sofia sets out to find and rescue Grifter from those damn Daemonites, and arrives at the secret Daemonite ship just as the Daemonites summon the Black Curate(who I guess is... um, a really important Daemonite?). Sofia drops a few grenades around the Daemonite ship, which allows Grifter to get free of the Daemonites in the confusion. Grifter goes to rescue his captured girlfriend, Gretchen, but she is snatched away from him by a random Daemonite and sucked into the portal the Black Curate was trying to emerge from. With that, the Daemonite ship explodes just as Grifter and Sofia get clear of it. So now, Grifter has lost a girlfriend and a brother to the Daemonites, which, by my standards at least, make them his enemies for life.
Thoughts: Eh. I STILL say we should establish ONE major Daemonite threat(Helspont or Hightower anybody?), as opposed to various competing Daemonite threats and whatever the hell the Black Curate was. At least in the beginning of the series... This series could really use some focusing... Maybe the upcoming crossover with Superman and Stormwatch will provide us with that focus.
Score: 6 out of 10.
The Black Curate must be important. He speaks in the third person!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Grifter #5
Well, Grifter survived cancellation during DC's first round of cuts, which is good, because this series really hasn't been that bad. The fact that Voodoo also survived the chopping block makes me think that DC is giving the former Wildstorm characters a slightly longer leash than the mainstream DC ones. If that IS the case, then bravo, DC!
Grifter #5:
What Happened: I'm not exactly sure what happened... I'll give it the old college try though... Grifter and Sofia(the woman who saved Grifter last issue) head to Sofia's hidden base/weapon's arsenal where Sofia gains Grifter's trust by letting him have whatever weapon he wanted as well as telling Grifter to kill her if he didn't trust her. Since Sofia had lots of guns but was short on funds, Grifter heads out to try to grift some marks out of money. Before he can though, a small army of Daemonites led by Tsavo(the Daemonite kind of/sort of responsible for Grifter's brother's death) cause everybody on the street to freeze and attacks Grifter. Grifter is unable to fight off all of the Daemonites, but is saved when ANOTHER Daemonite named Carver(who kidnapped Grifter's girlfriend, Gretchen) steps in to take Grifter to Black Curate... Whatever that is. Sofia tries to assist Grifter, but he is transported aboard Carver's ship, where he spots Gretchen. This one ends with Carver preparing the chant to bring the Black Curate to her.
Thoughts: Yeah, totally lost here. Seriously, I'm just getting my feet under me with regards to Grifter in this series, did we really need to ratchet up the confusion by introducing opposing clans of Daemonites?! Couldn't all of the Daemonites be working under this Black Curate(whatever that is...), thus making this story a bit easier to follow? At least in the early going? I mean I'll be sticking with this series for the long haul, but a less dedicate fan than I would most likely drop this series out of sheer confusion...
Score: 4 1/2 out of 10.
Damn Daemonites!!
Grifter #5:
What Happened: I'm not exactly sure what happened... I'll give it the old college try though... Grifter and Sofia(the woman who saved Grifter last issue) head to Sofia's hidden base/weapon's arsenal where Sofia gains Grifter's trust by letting him have whatever weapon he wanted as well as telling Grifter to kill her if he didn't trust her. Since Sofia had lots of guns but was short on funds, Grifter heads out to try to grift some marks out of money. Before he can though, a small army of Daemonites led by Tsavo(the Daemonite kind of/sort of responsible for Grifter's brother's death) cause everybody on the street to freeze and attacks Grifter. Grifter is unable to fight off all of the Daemonites, but is saved when ANOTHER Daemonite named Carver(who kidnapped Grifter's girlfriend, Gretchen) steps in to take Grifter to Black Curate... Whatever that is. Sofia tries to assist Grifter, but he is transported aboard Carver's ship, where he spots Gretchen. This one ends with Carver preparing the chant to bring the Black Curate to her.
Thoughts: Yeah, totally lost here. Seriously, I'm just getting my feet under me with regards to Grifter in this series, did we really need to ratchet up the confusion by introducing opposing clans of Daemonites?! Couldn't all of the Daemonites be working under this Black Curate(whatever that is...), thus making this story a bit easier to follow? At least in the early going? I mean I'll be sticking with this series for the long haul, but a less dedicate fan than I would most likely drop this series out of sheer confusion...
Score: 4 1/2 out of 10.
Damn Daemonites!!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Grifter #4
The first comic I'll be looking at tonight is also the first DC book I've read this week, Grifter. Unfortunately, that washed up, has-been Green Arrow is guest starring in this issue... Oh well, here's hoping Old Man Ollie doesn't hurt my enjoyment of this one too much.
Grifter #4:
What Happened: Grifter heads to Seattle with the Daemonite he captured last issue hoping this Daemonite would lead him to others. The captive Daemonite leads Grifter to the Q-Core building, which naturally draws out Green Arrow(since Oliver Queen owns Q-Core or something... I don't actually care, so meh). Grifter doesn't want to fight GA since his beef is with the Daemonites, and after GA frees Grifter's Daemonite hostage, Grifter makes a run for it. He is eventually cornered by GA and Seattle's finest, but is rescued by a woman on a motorcycle. Meanwhile, Daemonites are torturing Grifter's girlfriend and Secret Government Agency #1,297,268 of the new DCU are still tracking Grifter.
The Good: The story was fast paced. The art was really good... Better than I remember it being actually. I wonder if we changed artists or something. With Daemonites, shadowy government agencies, mystery biker women and kidnapped girlfriends, this series has storylines set up for quite some time. We FINALLY get Grifter calling the Daemonites by name in this issue!!! Huzzah! And it only took them 4 issues and absolutely NO explanation as to how or why Grifter knew they were called Daemonites!
The Bad: I don't like Oliver Queen anymore. In my opinion, his day has passed and Connor Hawke should have been handed the GA mantle with the reboot, so I obviously didn't like seeing him here. The way GA defeated Grifter wasn't really clear. That was the only gripe I had with the artwork. I just didn't ever get that invested in this issue... Probably because of GA eating up so much scenery.
The Verdict: Well this was a nice, quick read. Grifter arrives in Seattle, fights GA and is assisted by some random woman. Simple. I really don't have any strong feelings about this issue one way or the other, so I guess we should move on...
Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.
Try to figure out what's going on in this issue just by looking at this page... I dare ya!
Grifter #4:
What Happened: Grifter heads to Seattle with the Daemonite he captured last issue hoping this Daemonite would lead him to others. The captive Daemonite leads Grifter to the Q-Core building, which naturally draws out Green Arrow(since Oliver Queen owns Q-Core or something... I don't actually care, so meh). Grifter doesn't want to fight GA since his beef is with the Daemonites, and after GA frees Grifter's Daemonite hostage, Grifter makes a run for it. He is eventually cornered by GA and Seattle's finest, but is rescued by a woman on a motorcycle. Meanwhile, Daemonites are torturing Grifter's girlfriend and Secret Government Agency #1,297,268 of the new DCU are still tracking Grifter.
The Good: The story was fast paced. The art was really good... Better than I remember it being actually. I wonder if we changed artists or something. With Daemonites, shadowy government agencies, mystery biker women and kidnapped girlfriends, this series has storylines set up for quite some time. We FINALLY get Grifter calling the Daemonites by name in this issue!!! Huzzah! And it only took them 4 issues and absolutely NO explanation as to how or why Grifter knew they were called Daemonites!
The Bad: I don't like Oliver Queen anymore. In my opinion, his day has passed and Connor Hawke should have been handed the GA mantle with the reboot, so I obviously didn't like seeing him here. The way GA defeated Grifter wasn't really clear. That was the only gripe I had with the artwork. I just didn't ever get that invested in this issue... Probably because of GA eating up so much scenery.
The Verdict: Well this was a nice, quick read. Grifter arrives in Seattle, fights GA and is assisted by some random woman. Simple. I really don't have any strong feelings about this issue one way or the other, so I guess we should move on...
Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.
Try to figure out what's going on in this issue just by looking at this page... I dare ya!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Grifter #3
The first review for today is the first DC comic I'll be reading this week, Grifter. The past two issues have been okay, but I'm hoping we'll move from okay to AWESOME here.
Grifter #3:
What Happened: Grifter is confronted by his military brother again and the two stand at gunpoint for a while debating who betrayed who and such. Eventually a Daemonite arrives on the scene and goes to attack Grifter, which is what Grifter was hoping for, since that would prove to his brother and hopefully the government, that he wasn't crazy and there were weird aliens pestering him. The Daemonite manages to down the helicopter that Grifter's brother arrived in, presumably killing Grifter's brother in the process. This naturally pisses Grifter off, and he attacks and manages to kill the Daemonite. With that Daemonite dead, Grifter picks up the thoughts of it's accomplice and manages to sneak up on the second Daemonite, telling it to take him back to it's base. Meanwhile, Grifter's girlfriend is captured by either the government or the Daemonites
The Good: The story, once it got going had me. The art was solid. I liked the conversation between Grifter and his brother. The fight scene between Grifter and the Daemonite was well done. The ending with Grifter heading to the Daemonite's base left me interested in reading the next issue.
The Bad: While I liked the conversation between Grifter and his brother, it went on WAY too long... The stuff with Grifter's girlfriend getting abducted didn't do anything for me since it just leaves her as the clichéd damsel in distress and/or eventual Daemonite enemy/lover of Grifter.
The Verdict: There was definitely more good than bad here. I can honestly say that I enjoyed this issue, and even if I wasn't picking this series up for my sister, it would have remained on my pull list since it passed the three issue litmus test. Granted, this issue did drag at points, but the rest of it was quite enjoyable.
Score: 8 out of 10.
Yup, in case you didn't know, it's ON now!
Grifter #3:
What Happened: Grifter is confronted by his military brother again and the two stand at gunpoint for a while debating who betrayed who and such. Eventually a Daemonite arrives on the scene and goes to attack Grifter, which is what Grifter was hoping for, since that would prove to his brother and hopefully the government, that he wasn't crazy and there were weird aliens pestering him. The Daemonite manages to down the helicopter that Grifter's brother arrived in, presumably killing Grifter's brother in the process. This naturally pisses Grifter off, and he attacks and manages to kill the Daemonite. With that Daemonite dead, Grifter picks up the thoughts of it's accomplice and manages to sneak up on the second Daemonite, telling it to take him back to it's base. Meanwhile, Grifter's girlfriend is captured by either the government or the Daemonites
The Good: The story, once it got going had me. The art was solid. I liked the conversation between Grifter and his brother. The fight scene between Grifter and the Daemonite was well done. The ending with Grifter heading to the Daemonite's base left me interested in reading the next issue.
The Bad: While I liked the conversation between Grifter and his brother, it went on WAY too long... The stuff with Grifter's girlfriend getting abducted didn't do anything for me since it just leaves her as the clichéd damsel in distress and/or eventual Daemonite enemy/lover of Grifter.
The Verdict: There was definitely more good than bad here. I can honestly say that I enjoyed this issue, and even if I wasn't picking this series up for my sister, it would have remained on my pull list since it passed the three issue litmus test. Granted, this issue did drag at points, but the rest of it was quite enjoyable.
Score: 8 out of 10.
Yup, in case you didn't know, it's ON now!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Grifter #2
The second DC book I'll be reading this week? None other than Grifter! If you didn't know Grifter had a comic book you apparently aren't the only one, as Grifter #1 was unfortunately on the low end of September's DC comic sales... Yet Flash #1 was a top seller... That just goes to show that people in general have no taste.
Grifter #2:
What Happened: Grifter manages to convince his girlfriend to meet him at a diner so he can try to explain what happened to him what with all of the alien weirdness last issue. Before he can explain too much a cop walks in and Grifter can hear his thoughts, meaning the cops was one of the weird aliens after him. Grifter ultimately manages to defeat the possessed cop, but in doing so freaks out his girlfriend who doesn't want to see him anymore. Grifter takes off and ends up being confronted by his brother, a member of the army. Grifter manages to jam his brother's gun before taking off, with his brother hot on his heels.
The Good: Much like Deathstroke #2, this was another fast moving DC book. The cliffhanger was strong. We learn a bit more about Grifter's past.
The Bad: We still don't know what's up with the weird aliens/whatever the hell they are that are possessing people. Apparently they're called Daemonites, but I only know that from the cover of this issue, as that name was never mentioned inside this issue. The reveal that Grifter used to work Black Ops for the military was tossed out with no fanfare at all. That seems sort of important to be revealed in such an offhanded sort of way.
The Verdict: This was one of those perfectly acceptable comic books I'll sometimes mention. I mean it wasn't great, it wasn't horrible. I probably won't remember it when I wake up tomorrow. It was simply okay. I will say that I'm a bit miffed that the term Daemonite was never used in this issue. I mean if THAT is the name of this big threat that has turned Grifter's life inside out, shouldn't that name show up SOMEWHERE?
Score: 7 out of 10.
“You bring a fist to a gunfight? How human of you.” What the HELL does that even mean?!?
Grifter #2:
What Happened: Grifter manages to convince his girlfriend to meet him at a diner so he can try to explain what happened to him what with all of the alien weirdness last issue. Before he can explain too much a cop walks in and Grifter can hear his thoughts, meaning the cops was one of the weird aliens after him. Grifter ultimately manages to defeat the possessed cop, but in doing so freaks out his girlfriend who doesn't want to see him anymore. Grifter takes off and ends up being confronted by his brother, a member of the army. Grifter manages to jam his brother's gun before taking off, with his brother hot on his heels.
The Good: Much like Deathstroke #2, this was another fast moving DC book. The cliffhanger was strong. We learn a bit more about Grifter's past.
The Bad: We still don't know what's up with the weird aliens/whatever the hell they are that are possessing people. Apparently they're called Daemonites, but I only know that from the cover of this issue, as that name was never mentioned inside this issue. The reveal that Grifter used to work Black Ops for the military was tossed out with no fanfare at all. That seems sort of important to be revealed in such an offhanded sort of way.
The Verdict: This was one of those perfectly acceptable comic books I'll sometimes mention. I mean it wasn't great, it wasn't horrible. I probably won't remember it when I wake up tomorrow. It was simply okay. I will say that I'm a bit miffed that the term Daemonite was never used in this issue. I mean if THAT is the name of this big threat that has turned Grifter's life inside out, shouldn't that name show up SOMEWHERE?
Score: 7 out of 10.
“You bring a fist to a gunfight? How human of you.” What the HELL does that even mean?!?
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Grifter #1
Hey all, X here with a new try at an old idea. Instead of doing my regular, long-winded reviews, I'm going to revert to a revamped version of my old Quick Thoughts posts... If I like the way these first few Quick Thoughts style posts come out, I'll probably stick with them until things slow down a bit in my personal life and I can go back to my usual reviews. If I don't like the way these reviews come out, then it's back to the drawing board. Alright, let's get this show on the road!
Grifter #1:
What Happened: Cole Cash, a small-time conman(hence the name Grifter), is grabbed off the street by some freaky creatures and they try to do some sort of experiment on him. The experiment doesn't seem to work out perfectly, and Cole is left with some telepathy that allows him to read the minds of the freaky creatures. The freaky creatures(who seem capable of body-snatching) try to recapture Cole, while he tries to stay a step ahead of them. To add to Cole's troubles, his brother Max is a military man who has been tasked with bringing Cole(who the government thinks is a terrorist) in.
The Good: This comic did a WAY better job of introducing us to the lead character than Static Shock #1 did. We learn about Grifter's background(smalltime conman), we learn how Grifter got his powers(freaky creatures) and we get introduced to the duel threat Grifter will be dealing with(the freaky creatures and Grifter's own brother). You can't ask for all that much more from a first issue about a character I know next to nothing about.
The Bad: Gah, what is up with those Wolverine-esque sideburns on Grifter?! They were horrible... Besides that, there really wasn't enough time to develop any kind of real relationship between Grifter and his partner Gretchen(lovers perhaps?), nor between Grifter and his brother to get an emotional attachment to Grifter losing Gretchen or to Grifter being hunted down by his brother.
The Verdict: I liked this issue. It was a good, strong, solid start. There was some mystery, like who/what those creatures were and why Grifter seemed to get powers from them, and the eventual confrontation between Grifter and his brother should be heated(you'd think). I definitely won't be dropping this one yet.
Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
If I were to find myself in a similar situation, I think my response would be close to Grifter's, but with a lot more profanity and sobbing...
Grifter #1:
What Happened: Cole Cash, a small-time conman(hence the name Grifter), is grabbed off the street by some freaky creatures and they try to do some sort of experiment on him. The experiment doesn't seem to work out perfectly, and Cole is left with some telepathy that allows him to read the minds of the freaky creatures. The freaky creatures(who seem capable of body-snatching) try to recapture Cole, while he tries to stay a step ahead of them. To add to Cole's troubles, his brother Max is a military man who has been tasked with bringing Cole(who the government thinks is a terrorist) in.
The Good: This comic did a WAY better job of introducing us to the lead character than Static Shock #1 did. We learn about Grifter's background(smalltime conman), we learn how Grifter got his powers(freaky creatures) and we get introduced to the duel threat Grifter will be dealing with(the freaky creatures and Grifter's own brother). You can't ask for all that much more from a first issue about a character I know next to nothing about.
The Bad: Gah, what is up with those Wolverine-esque sideburns on Grifter?! They were horrible... Besides that, there really wasn't enough time to develop any kind of real relationship between Grifter and his partner Gretchen(lovers perhaps?), nor between Grifter and his brother to get an emotional attachment to Grifter losing Gretchen or to Grifter being hunted down by his brother.
The Verdict: I liked this issue. It was a good, strong, solid start. There was some mystery, like who/what those creatures were and why Grifter seemed to get powers from them, and the eventual confrontation between Grifter and his brother should be heated(you'd think). I definitely won't be dropping this one yet.
Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
If I were to find myself in a similar situation, I think my response would be close to Grifter's, but with a lot more profanity and sobbing...
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