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:
- Action Comics
- All-Star Western
- Animal Man
- Aquaman
- Batgirl
- Batman
- Batman and Robin
- Batman: The Dark Knight
- Batwing
- Batwoman
- Birds of Prey
- Blackhawks
- Blue Beetle
- Captain Atom
- Catwoman
- DC Universe Presents
- Deathstroke
- Demon Knights
- Detective Comics
- The Flash
- Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
- The Fury of Firestorm
- Green Arrow
- Green Lantern
- Green Lantern Corps
- Green Lantern: New Guardians
- Grifter
- Hawk and Dove
- I, Vampire
- Justice League
- Justice League Dark
- Justice League International
- Legion Lost
- Legion of Super-Heroes
- Men of War
- Mister Terrific
- Nightwing
- O.M.A.C.
- Red Hood and the Outlaws
- Red Lanterns
- Resurrection Man
- The Savage Hawkman
- Static Shock
- Stormwatch
- Suicide Squad
- Superboy
- Supergirl
- Superman
- Swamp Thing
- Teen Titans
- Voodoo
- Wonder Woman