Comic Vine Review
0 CommentsWorlds' Finest #9 - Raid Review
3by Sara 'Babs' Lima on
An explosion and subsequent invasion of Starr Island leaves the future of Starr Industries in the balance.
The Good
There is a lot of really great action in this issue and I think that the layout for these scenes were fantastic. The flashback scenes where Huntress travels to Prague is really well done. The dialogue isn't at all campy in these panels and the art is really detailed and very complimentary to the story being told in these scenes. Writer Paul Levitz jumps around a bit, breaking up the present day story with some flashbacks which actually worked really well here. I am not sure whether it was the art in these panels that really made everything stand out, but the story almost read better in the flashbacks.
Levitz really has very little problem writing Huntress and I don't know whether it is because of his experience writing the character, or whether he prefers her overall, but she is always better conveyed in this series. Huntress definitely makes this issue: she has the best scenes and the best dialogue in this comic and her flashback moments are what really boosted the overall rating of this issue.
The pages illustrated by Yildiray Cinar are fantastic and incredibly detailed. In fact, they are so good that I wonder whether the book would be better overall if he were to come onto it full time.
The Bad
There are several different artists here (George Perez, Cafu, Yildiray Cinar), and reading this issue would not have been such a jarring experience had all of these artists used the same inker. There are some pages where the inking is very heavy and makes the pencils look muddy (the first few pages). As the issue progresses the art does improve and looks considerably cleaner, which is a good thing.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that Power Girl loses a bit of her costume in this issue after a fight, although it isn't nearly as gratuitous as what we've seen in previous issues. I think one of the things that bother's me about this series (and it is very evident here) is the way that Power Girl is written. Her character comes across as being really dimwitted and I don't think she ever used to be that way. She's written as this sterotypical attractive blonde that doesn't really have a brain, except she has a multi-million dollar company. I recall the pre-52 version of her character never really came across as being stupid, so it's disappointing to see that here.
The Verdict
This issue was average. It was not the worst I have read of this series, but certainly not the best either. I think that the story feels a bit more grounded which is important. This idea that there is a massive attack on Starr Island is a huge cause for concern, and it also opens up the doors for possible stories and ideas that Levitz could run with. I am actually interested in seeing what direction this story takes. Having said that, this issue does feel a bit inconsistent. The art especially fluctuates too frequently and makes the reading experience feel a bit jarring. There are some great pages of art, but there are also some pages that might leave you scratching your head. The action is good, and the story is well organized and makes more sense than many previous issues, but I am still having some difficulty with Power Girl's identity. I am beginning to wonder whether she is simply an empty shell of who she used to be, and that's discouraging.
