Last month, The Prowler ongoing series launched out of the Clone Conspiracy with a solid (yet uninspiring) first issue. This week, we delve deeper into Hobie Brown’s job as a New U fixer.
Is it good?
The Prowler #2 (Marvel Comics)
Observations
- I may not like her new look/costume, but it’s still always good to see Julia Carpenter show up.
- Wow. Julia ain’t messing around with this Oracle tech, is she?
- Cutting off a superhero’s Wi-Fi = Guaranteed ass kicking.
- Vegemite spread is serious business, especially to an Australian.
- Jackal’s way too smart to trust the new Electro this much.
- Case in point…
- Forgetting your medicine is bad enough without the nurse being a homicidal/electrified sociopath.
Is It Good?
Now we’re cooking with gas.
While The Prowler still doesn’t have a lot of narrative momentum, it’s beginning to build intriguing threads and conflicts that stand on their own. In this issue, we finally get to see Hobie Brown come into conflict with another superhero over his ties to New U. Sean Ryan does an excellent job crafting dialogue between two friends who find themselves completely at odds with each other.
He’s also developing a terrifying new villain with this new version of Electro—although it’s more than a little ridiculous that someone as smart as the Jackal would trust her like he does.
On the art side of things, Jamal Campbell’s work is just as gorgeous as it was last issue, particularly on anything involving light or fire effects. One area Campbell hasn’t gotten enough credit for is how well he portrays masked characters’ emotions, either through body language or simply ensuring that their eyes are not completely obscured. He also draws what might officially be my favorite-looking version of Madame Web.
It still bothers me that much of the story hinges on Jackal making an incredibly dumb decision (even for him), but it’s forgivable mistake considering how good the rest of the issue is.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login