DCU Comic Book Reviews

VIGILANTE #5

Deathtrap, Part 2

June 2009

Written by Marv Wolfman

Pencils by Rick Leonardi

Inks by John Stanisci

Cover by Walt Simonson

Synopsis

[Continued from Titans, issue #12]  At the Hamilton Grande in Central Park, Jericho plants a bomb.  Elsewhere, Jericho makes sure Tobias Whale orders extra bombs.  At Titans Headquarters, Vigilante just shot Cyborg thinking Jericho was inside.  The Titans capture him and then try to learn who he might be.  Just as they get a picture and finger prints, a bomb explodes nearby.  In the ensuing chaos, Vigilante gets away.  Before the Titans can find him, they get a call from the police of a hostage crisis nearby.  The Titans respond, but realize quickly the hostage crisis was a set-up.  Nearby, Jericho watches.  He then detonates the bomb.  As the Titans help save the bystanders, Vigilante tracks down Jericho, who is able to get away.  Jericho then calls the Teen Titans, which was a ruse to take control of the ship, which then starts attacking the Titans.  Meanwhile, Vigilante redoubles his effort to find Jericho. [Continued in Teen Titans, issue #70]

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This second part of the “Deathtrap” storyline has me thoroughly confused.  It seems like Wolfman makes a number of decisions with regard to the plot and story that don’t make sense to the larger story that is being told.  Either Wolfman wasn’t given the memo on the particulars of the plot or the editor is asleep at the wheel.  For instance, in the previous installment, the Titans grudgingly decide to set up a trap to capture Vigilante so they can work with him to find Jericho.  So what happens when they get him?  They treat him like a criminal, tossing him around and trying to find out who he is.  Does this make sense?  If you wanted to work with him, you play nice.  But not the Titans, they play hardball.  To compound the problem, Wolfman has Gar going crazy because Vigilante attacked Cyborg, which I thought was exactly the point of the trap they set for him.  Gar is complaining that Vigilante did exactly what they wanted him to do.  Then to make matters worse, the Titans continually try to blame Vigilante for everything that is happening at the bank.  Wait?  Why?  Isn’t Vigilante trying to find Jericho?  Taking hostages at a bank helps to accomplish that goal, how?  You know what it feels like?  It feels like Wolfman wrote the script with the idea that he needed to create conflict.  After all, what goods is the story if the Titans and Vigilante are working together?  The problem is that the conflict feels forced.  And by forcing it into the story, it is making it very hard to enjoy “Deathtrap.” 

I was slightly amused by the ending when Jericho, in the body of a woman, calls Cassie and lets her know it is Joe Wilson.  Let me rephrase:  in a woman’s body.  With a woman’s voice.  And she believes it is Jericho.  Or at the very least doesn’t say anything about the woman’s voice.  I don’t know, maybe they are used to hearing strange voices around Jericho. 

One thing that also confused me is Jericho jumping into various bodies.  Is it ever explained where his body goes when he jumps into other people or how he can get his own body back.  Seeing him go back and forth in this issue was a little jarring, like the artist only drew Jericho so the readers who know who it was.  Otherwise, what reason would Jericho have to stay as himself?  Well, except for the ghosts that stick with him, but I would think that would be a deterrent, so he wouldn’t do it at all.

 

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