DCU Comic Book Reviews

VIGILANTE #2

Burn Baby Burn

March 2009

Written by Marv Wolfman

Pencils by Rick Leonardi

Inks by John Stanisci

Cover by Andrew Robinson

Synopsis

At Stryker’s Island, Lester Buchinsky (aka The Electrocutioner) is sentenced to die via electrocution, but it doesn’t work.  Meanwhile, Joe Flynn (aka Vigilante) arrives at Stryker’s Island.  He is searching for Brandon Leigh, a former cop with knowledge of the recent Election Bombings.  Leigh is being held a section of the prison called the Suites.  Meanwhile, one of the guards approaches Buchinsky and suggests a trade if Buchinsky is willing to deal with Leigh.  Elsewhere, Flynn receives a visitor, who is able to smuggle in the Vigilante costume.  That night, Vigilante scouts the prison to learn the routine of the guards.  The next morning, Flynn learns he is about to be released.  Flynn tires to contact Leigh, but is stopped by another inmate.  Due to their fight, Flynn loses Leigh.  In Washington DC, the FBI realizes the mob wars are being inflamed by the Vigilante.  They decide the Vigilante is priority number one to avoid a mob war.  That night, Vigilante heads out to the Suites.  He arrives too late.  The Electrocutioner has already taken care of Leigh.  However, he learns what Flynn needs to know and tells him:  working with Leigh and Joe Wilson (aka Jericho) is a mask.  A titan.  Nightwing.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This was a perfectly acceptable comic book issue.  I like the crime drama feel to it, with the slow process by the Vigilante to track down his prey even though he keeps getting sidetracked.  The problem, however, is that the Vigilante, Joe Flynn, or Dorian or whoever he is supposed to be is still a cipher.  The fact that we don’t know his real name is a big sign.  We don’t know who he is, therefore we are having a tough time understanding why he is doing what he is doing and why he is going to great lengths to locate the one behind the election bombings.  As such, the book comes across as a nice story, but it lacks the emotional connection.  And without that connection, it is tough to care on way or the other what happens to the Vigilante, and that includes both the character and the book.  At some point, Wolfman needs to let us know Vigilante better. 

Alright, maybe I am missing something, but why in the world would you electrocute someone who is named the Electrocutioner.  And even if he doesn’t go spouting out his name as such, wouldn’t you have it in his files that his powers are electric based.  Shouldn’t that tell you something? I mean, they have to do what he is capable of doing.  Certainly they would’ve learned that at some point during his trial or captivity or whatever.

I missed it originally, but the Election Bombings occurred in the mini-series DCU Decisions (which I did not read).  That mini-series was co-written by Judd Winick, who is the writer of the current Titans book where Jericho just showed up.  So, there is definitely a connection.  I wonder if this is something that Wolfman has been building towards when he first re-introduced Vigilante in Nightwing awhile back or something that editorial is forcing him towards.

Comic Connection

The Electrocutioner first appeared in Detective Comics, issue #644, (May 1992), and was created by Chuck Dixon, Tom Lyle and Scott Hanna.

 

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