New 52 Review – “Grifter #1”

Another WildStorm property joins the DCU proper this week.

General Information

Title: Grifter #1

Author: Nathan Edmondsom

Illustrator(s): Cafu (pencils), Jason Gorder (inks) and Andrew Dalhouse (colours)

Cover Date: November 2011

Cover Price: $2.99

Buy the digital edition.

Premise

Cole Cash is a grifter, who specializes in taking on businessmen. He stumbles into a paranormal bait and switch, and needs to figure out what’s going on before the U.S. military take him down for the choices he made for reasons witnesses couldn’t possibly know.

High Point

The parallels between the flight and the grift. This is a man who can think on his feet, but also knows how to plan ahead.

Low Point

The nature of his relationship with his hunter feels a bit cliche.

The Scores

Although the petty crook with a heart of gold is hardly original these days, there aren’t many that head up their own comic books. I give it 4 out of 6.

The artwork is quite good. Detailed, emotive, and varied in tone with the scene. There are times that the inks are required, and times they are skipped entirely, both to good effect. I give it 5 out of 6.

The story is off to a good start, with a lot of questions left ot answer. I give it 5 out of 6.

The characterization of our hero/antihero is well done. We know he’s a crook from the outset, but he has his limits that he doesn’t want to cross. It’s his supporting cast we know next to nothing about. I give it 4 out of 6.

The emotional response is pretty good. I am interested in what comes next. At the end of the month, I’ll be going through all of the reviews to see which titles I ultimately keep on my pull list. This could well come out near the cutoff mark, especially since it has something of an X-Files or Outer Limits feel to it. I give it 5 out of 6.

The flow is smooth, disrupted only by the flashback in the middle of an action sequence. I give it 5 out of 6.

Overall, this is a good title, and another strong contributor to the diversity of the new DCU. I give it 5 out of 6.

In total, Grifter receives 33 out of 42.

The New 52

Here are handy links for the reviews of all 52 new #1 issues:

  1. Action Comics
  2. All-Star Western
  3. Animal Man
  4. Aquaman
  5. Batgirl
  6. Batman
  7. Batman and Robin
  8. Batman: The Dark Knight
  9. Batwing
  10. Batwoman
  11. Birds of Prey
  12. Blackhawks
  13. Blue Beetle
  14. Captain Atom
  15. Catwoman
  16. DC Universe Presents
  17. Deathstroke
  18. Demon Knights
  19. Detective Comics
  20. The Flash
  21. Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
  22. The Fury of Firestorm
  23. Green Arrow
  24. Green Lantern
  25. Green Lantern Corps
  26. Green Lantern: New Guardians
  27. Grifter
  28. Hawk and Dove
  29. I, Vampire
  30. Justice League
  31. Justice League Dark
  32. Justice League International
  33. Legion Lost
  34. Legion of Super-Heroes
  35. Men of War
  36. Mister Terrific
  37. Nightwing
  38. O.M.A.C.
  39. Red Hood and the Outlaws
  40. Red Lanterns
  41. Resurrection Man
  42. The Savage Hawkman
  43. Static Shock
  44. Stormwatch
  45. Suicide Squad
  46. Superboy
  47. Supergirl
  48. Superman
  49. Swamp Thing
  50. Teen Titans
  51. Voodoo
  52. Wonder Woman