Saving lost animals and dismembering lowlifes—all in a day’s work for Midnighter.
Writer: Keith Giffen
Artists: Lee Garbett and Rick Burchett
Cover: Lee Garbett
Summary: Has Midnighter met his match? As the Authority’s deadliest killing machine, the leather-clad “hero” can take a massive amount of pain. But when Midnighter runs into a new player named Assassin8, the tables are turned and suddenly it’s Midnighter who may be down for the count!
Review: Sadly enough, the main story in this otherwise decent trade becomes a weak focus when compared to the two others: “Ordinary People” and “The Hercules Virus.” MIDNIGHTER: ASSASSIN8 is the third volume of the series and probably not the best place to start reading. However, the book possesses some good qualities and can certainly manage to peak the reader’s interest in the character and his world.
Lee Garbett and Rick Burchett’s art in “Assassin8″ has its moments, but overall the visuals display as a frustrating mess. As someone unfamiliar to the title, it took me twice as long to read the comic due to the plainly drawn and easily confusable characters. Not to mention I had to go back and start over because I mistook the anti-hero Midnighter (otherwise known as Lucas Trent) for one of the other characters, and even worse, I thought his friend Brian was secretly the central baddie, Assassin8.
Thankfully, the story does a decent job of redeeming that annoying confusion. Midnighter proves an intriguing character who fits in his own unique superhero niche. Assassin8 serves as a worthy opponent, inspiring some cool fight scenes that combine a manipulative, strategist element with the usual brawn. Plus, the plot itself rises as an important point in the series, and much is changed by the end of the arc. Still, the comic fails to truly impress: characters feel mostly 2D and the story seems to be lacking any real complexity and the importance of the development it actually presents.
While shorter than the main feature, “Ordinary People” and “The Hercules Virus” are more fun and exciting. “Ordinary People” (by Christos Gage and John Paul Leon) begins as a cute side-track that shows Midnighter searching for a child’s lost cat and quickly becomes more than just a lesson in the value of helping others when mercenary and mad scientist cyborgs reveal their involvement. The comic provides some good laughs, too. Meanwhile, “The Hercules Virus” (by writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray and artist Brian Stelfreeze) takes the adventure to space. Filled with creepy space mutants and paranormal activity, the story dishes out conspiracy, betrayal, and more than one explosion in a tight wrap of twenty-two pages.
MIDNIGHTER: ASSASSIN8 might not be a strong addition to your bookshelf, but it’s not necessarily a bad read, either. The two one-shots offer more than the major story does, and unfortunately the latter turns out to be what drags the trade down.
Rating: 3 out of 5
March 19th, 2009 at 12:48 am
UGH. I hate it when characters are drawn too similar.