DCU Comic Book Reviews

MANHUNTER #27

Unleashed, Part 2:  Chains Of Evidence

March 2007

Written by Marc Andreyko

Pencils by Javier Pina and Fernando Blanco

Inks by Robin Riggs

Cover by Howard Chaykin

Synopsis

In Los Angeles, Kate Spencer (aka Manhunter) defends Princess Diana (aka Wonder Women) in front of grand jury on the charge of murdering former Black King of Checkmate Maxwell Lord.  Kate also helps Diana navigate safely through the jungles of the press and the tabloids.  In Gotham City, Cameron Chase is looking for her sister, who might have been kidnapped by Dr. Trapp.  She gets a surprise visit by Dylan, who offers to help her.  Somewhere in the Himalayas, Mark Shaw is taken deep in the mountains where he encounters the Knights of the Order of Saint Dumas.  Elsewhere, current Black Queen Sasha Bourdeaux watches footage of the trial and decides she better go to Los Angeles.  Meanwhile, after a day at court, Diana and Kate emerge on the street to find the press and to find the Blue Beetle!

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

“Escaping the labyrinth of Crete is easier than understanding the American legal system.”

I would love to get an attorneys point of view on this storyline. 

You know, as a fan of this book, I really do like what is going on, but even as a fan I am beginning to wonder what the heck is going on with Mark Shaw.  Something needs to happen soon.  Beyond that, the rest if fairly good even with my reservations on Wonder Woman in the next paragraph.  The best stuff are the continuing weird relationship between Cam and Dylan.  The appearance of Mikey (Michael Johnson) was also a nice touch and rewarding for those few fans who have managed to read the entire run.  Finally, I like the ending, not so much as a big shocking cliffhanger nor because I think Ted Kord is back (which I don’t) but because I have to wonder, why? would anyone put on a Blue Beetle suit and come to see Diana.  Just thinking of the possibilities is amazing and I am sure Andreyko will come up with something cool. 

The characterization of Wonder Woman in this issue is a completely and utterly backwards step than the way she should be portrayed.  In Greg Rucka’s run on Wonder Woman, she was portrayed as a top notch ambassador-slash-politician with enough chops to understand the political system as well as the press and the paparazzi.  Hell, Rucka even introduced Diana’s book that called for her to go on a press junket.  I do not believe that Diana would be so ignorant of what is going on around her.  It seems as if Andreyko is portraying her as the woman who just left Paradise Island fro the first time rather than the hero who has been in “man’s world” for some time now. 

Anyone (hopefully someone) who has read this site and the reviews within long enough knows how I feel about covers that give away the ending.  This issue is the perfect example of blowing the ending.  Well, perhaps not necessarily blowing the ending, but I knew before the spaceship even landed what was going to happen.  I hate that.  The ending would have had much more of an impact if it hadn’t been given away. 

As a side note, Azreal (the character who once took Batman’s place and died a few years ago) came from the Order of St. Dumas. 

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