Time to get down to the nitty gritty and kill some…aliens, demons, whatever the hell they are…they’re going down!
What They Say:
Cole and Gretchen escape in opposite directions, but the hornets’ nest has been disturbed. With aliens and the authorities both pursuing Cole, an easy escape is not an option! And when Cole is forced to confront his brother, the recipe is clear: on this morning, there will be bloodshed.
The Review:
Issue # 3 for a lot of series in the new 52 seems to be where they are really hitting their stride and allowing us as readers to become comfortable and absorbed in the story. Grifter is no exception. The issue starts of with Cole and his brother facing off. I have to assume some time has passed since they were facing off at the end of the last issue because I don’t want to believe that there is an honest to god continuity error this time around (no fuzzy memory this time, I doubled checked!). Anyway, the first half of the issue deals with Cole having a good brotherly talk at gunpoint. These scenes were great to add a little mystery to Cole while simultaneously expanding his history for those of us who aren’t familiar with the character in the old DCU.
In an ultimate ‘cool-guy’ move, Cole says he was only staying to chat so that one of the demons chasing him can catch up so that his brother can see what is really going on. Gunfights and violence ensues, yada yada, but the part I really enjoyed was after Cole damages the ‘shell’ of the creature. The demon then sheds his shell and reveals to be a giant translucent blue creature that looks insectoid in design. Here we go! No more strange fights with possessed humans, no more running around trying to figure out what’s going on, it’s time for a monster fight! While the fight is extremely brief, it provides an idea of the kind of artwork, choreography, and character designs we can expect to see in the future. I am impressed with all three of those elements in this issue and can’t wait to see the gloves fully come off as Cole starts getting into fights with much higher stakes and a larger number of enemies. The issue ends with Gretchen being kidnapped and trapped…somewhere. Where ever that place is, it looks like it could provide me with the ‘gloves off’ storytelling and fighting teased in this book.
In Summary:
A solid pickup from the last issue which was still getting its footing in terms of building the story and establishing the characters. Strangely, this issue adds levels of character and story without explaining anything in detail. This issue has found the perfect gap between being too vague and being to dumbed down and explaining everything. Which is great in my perspective and provides just the sort of catalyst to keep me reading this series. Move the plot forward, up the stakes, and provide readers with something to look forward to; it’s what the first issue had, the second issue lacked, and this issue has in spades.
Grade: B+
Readers Rating: [ratings]
