DV8: Gods and Monsters #2

The rest of DV8 finds Bliss, who's become a pleasure goddess to a tribe of skull-faced Amazonians. 
 

The Good

There's obviously a thousand angles to take on superheroes and I thought it was interesting to see this kind of youthful, counter-culture spin on the genre (even though I'm sure this wasn't even the most pronounced expression of it).  I liked Wood's characterization of Bliss; having her turn over a new leaf in regards to how she uses her "pleasure powers" while still maintaining her edge and attitude. On paper, the concept of a superheroine becoming a goddess to an Amazon tribe sounds kind of hokey, but the execution here made it actually rather believable. I also liked Wood's subtle captions to clue new readers in on the character's power and back story. It didn't feel intrusive, and it was certainly helpful, since this was my first issue. I really liked the group effort by Isaacs and Strachan to give this book a really distinctive look with the washed-out color palette and the more realistic line-work. It all added up to something that was very cinematic.

The Bad

There's not much to fault, here. I don't know if I'm necessarily going to run to the shelves to pick up the next issue, but this was a worthwhile read.

The Verdict - 4/5

If you like your superheroes to be run a little more mature, but it in an intelligent way, then I recommend this issue to you. It reminded me a bit of Neil Gaiman's Miracle Man run in that it focused on the dramatic potential of superpowers, rather than just fisticuffs. I do recommend picking up this issue, although you should realize that it's definitely a mature readers title.