You think Stryker’s Island prison is fun? That’s right, punk, it’s not … No, seriously, that’s not entertainment.
Vigilante #2
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: Rick Leonardi and John Stanisci
Cover: Andrew Robinson
Summary: A “Faces of Evil” issue! In order to uncover information about a traitor within the DC Universe, Vigilante allows himself to be captured and brought to jail to confront a terrorist cell and learn the name of the turncoat. But when the conspiracy deepens, Vigilante soon finds himself in way over his head and fighting for his life, trapped behind bars. But it’s the inmates who should be afraid. Vigilante plans on being their worst nightmare! Continuing this exciting new ongoing series!
Review: Things may be literally heating up in VIGILANTE—as in charred bodies, yuck—but I’m still not warmed up to this new comic. Nevertheless, there remain a few things that intrigue me about the title
VIGILANTE #2 may show off inmate Lester Buchinsky’s (aka the Electrocutioner) fetish for electricity and murder, but the comic itself feels cold. There’s nothing that impressive about it, unfortunately. I’m all for giving new comics time to find their niches in this competitive industry, where readers drop and add titles from and to their pull list quicker than you can say, “Shazam!” But VIGILANTE’s problems reside in its plot construction.
Let’s take a moment and step back. There’s a new Vigilante in Gotham, and it’s definitely not Adrian Chase, who allegedly killed himself. The FBI confirms in this issue that his body is indeed in the ground—it’s him, that’s it, end of story. So the new Vigilante, whom his ally JJ calls “Dorian,” lets himself get arrested and thrown into the prison on Stryker’s Island in an attempt to figure out from the inside just who is behind the election bombings.
So who is this Dorian guy, anyway? Well, uhm … the guy wearing that cool red “V” helmet on the cover? True, but sadly, nobody actually knows much more than that. Personally, it’s hard for me to invest in a comic where I know virtually nothing about the protagonist. Overall, it feels like I’ve jumped into the middle of very long arc. It’s not that I don’t understand what’s going on in the comic—I do, and that’s not the problem. The characters, especially Dorian, are mysteries. I have no idea about Vigilante’s real intentions or who the people around him are. How can I support his unconventional tactics when I don’t know anything about the reasoning he places behind them? Batman may operate outside the law, but at least we can understand his justification. With Vigilante, I’m clueless; I definitely shouldn’t feel that way considering only two issues have been published. If the writer won’t allow us to see the characters beyond a two-dimensional surface, neither the characters nor the comic will present themselves as interesting.
Honestly, I want to know who the new Vigilante is! He seems like he could be an exciting, controversial character if given the opportunity, but if Marv Wolfman doesn’t give him some depth soon, it might be lights out for VIGILANTE.
February 19th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
This looks like an awesome read. Great Review Steph!
February 19th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
That character looks like a cross between a GI Joe and a Power Ranger.
February 19th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
All I could think of was Deadpool upon looking at the character…I’m not exactly sure why, either.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
I was thinking GI Joe and Spawn or the black spiderman
February 19th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
What’s with you and Power Rangers, Haley?
February 19th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
He *does* look like a cross between GI and spawn…with a sprinkle of Deadpool.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I was going to say Deadpool too, but I didn’t want to sully my favorite Marvel character’s name.
February 19th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
I even like how the made his face into a big V, lol! It’s like he has a large orange bikini line face!! =P
February 19th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Whoa, that is one weird shared opinion about Deadpool.
Haha!
February 19th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
I read the first issue and wasn’t impressed. Money-wise I’m getting picky with what new series I continue to pick up.
February 19th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Exactly it, Jill. I haven’t been impressed yet, even though I want to be. And yeah, I’m only buying one more issue—I’m giving it one last chance to change my mind. I bought issue #2, but DC gave me a copy of it, too—so I have two copies, lol! Oh well, I won’t complain!
But I do wish the series would pick up.
February 20th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
So this takes place in Gotham? Does it tie into the Batman lore much? I will hold off till you get the next issue before I decide to pick it up or not!