DCU Comic Book Reviews

MANHUNTER #20

Psychobabble, Part 1

May 2006

Written by Marc Andreyko

Pencils by Javier Pina

Inks by Fernando Blanco

Cover by Javier Pina

Synopsis

One year later…Kate Spencer (aka Manhunter) iso n the roofs of Los Angeles staking out Punch and Jewelee, two art thieves dressed as clowns.  With the help of Todd Rice (Obsidian), they easily dispatch the thieves.  In Hollywood, Ramsey is watching the filming of the screenplay written by his father, novelist Peter Robinson.  Peter’s very pregnant wife, Julie, offers to take Ramsey to see his mother.  At home, Kate is taking a shower when she is interrupted by Director Bones, who has found a way to graft skin over his skeletal frame.  Before he leaves, he hands Kate a disc with her new assignment.  Somewhere in East Los Angeles, a young woman is attacked by a hooded man wielding a flaming knife.  The next day, Kate goes to meet the person whom she will be defending....Edgar Cizko (aka Dr. Psycho).

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I really liked this issue and as someone who is not familiar with the title or the characters, I felt like it was a good starting on point for anyone who may try it in the wake of One Year Later.  One of the strengths of the early issues I read of Manhunter was the balance of Kate’s life as a lawyer and single mom and her inexperience as a super hero.  I liked the comment she makes about feeling like a full-fledged super hero.  Although I am not quite sure what hold Bones has over Kate to make her defend Dr. Psycho, I am curious to see how this plays out.  Will Kate do her best to defend him and set him free and then hunt him down and kill him as Manhunter or will she tank her defense to keep him jail and possibly anger Bones.  Intriguing, is it not?

I must confess that I have not had the chance to read much of the Manhunter series except for the first couple of issues, so I am not really sure what is new and what is not new in the One Year Later timeframe.  I will say the pregnancy is a new development since it takes less than a year to have a child, but is Julie a new character?  I also believe the appearance of Obsidian is also new.  I know Todd’s appearance in the Manhunter series is not new, but I believe the return of his superpowers would be new and he specifically mentions the death of his sister Jennie (aka Jade), so that may have something to do with it.

This issue also provides the first clue that something big must have gone down in Metropolis.  The second clue is actually in Adventures of Superman, issue #650 in which Clark Kent states the city was being rebuilt.  In Manhunter, it shows many of the villains (perhaps as a result of the mass break out hinted at in Villains United) collecting marching onto Metropolis and wrecking havoc before they are stopped by an assortment of heroes, including Kate.

I must give kudos to Marc Andreyko for being able to craft a story that new readers can easily follow while I am sure old readers will find the new twists will add to their already rich experience.

Comic Connection

Jennie-Lynn Hayden’s death can be found in the Rann/Thanagar War Infinite Crisis Special issue.