Review: Domino #1
Mutant Mayhem may well be one of the corner stones of the Marvel alliteration universe, but with a seemingly endless round of restarts, resurrections and returns maybe a new voice is required. Step up, Miss Dark and Gritty Gail Simone.
It’s Domino’s birthday and she is going to party like its her….. well you get the picture. After a mini escapade stopping some mob loggers, Domino returns to find a surprise party featuring her besties with none other than Dazzler on the mic with a host of familiar faces in attendance. Still, it is not too long until there is a gate crasher proving that it is Domino’s party and she will die if she wants too!
Gail Simone is the renowned writer who ushered in a new reign for the Birds of Prey before moving onto what seemed a dream job with the New 52 version of Batgirl. Unfortunately, that run was mired in the darkness that was the Dark Knight and was beset by crossovers that kind of disrupted the flow of the book, causing a level of stop start. Simone has since returned to Megalopolis before entering the Clean Room and spending time with a certain Princess and Cimmerian. In all her comic book travels, I didn’t realise that Simone could do funny! Part of this is probably due to some of her DC work, but this book has a flair that I haven’t seen in quite some time; it was like reading a totally different writer. Free from the DC shackles, Simone brings the funny and then some. There are a number of great character moments strewn throughout the book, with more than the occasional nod to X-continuity and the confusion that it can cause.
The art for the book is provided by David Baldeon, who has style that matches the tone of Simone’s writing well. Baldeon’s pencils have a curvy fun to them that have a look of J. Scott Campbell, without as much curve. It goes to show that you can have a strong female lead and still draw her in a sexy way. DC please take note! Baldeon’s panel design is energetic and any flaw caused by the lack of details is quickly bypassed and more than easily forgotten. Baldeon’s art works well with both the action scenes and the party scene that makes up the majority of book. Jesus Aburtov provides the colors in a typically Marvel way, which isn’t a bad thing to be honest.
After months of Dark Nights and crazy continuity problems, it is a welcome relief to read such a fun book. In some ways, this book has been a palate cleanser. It is also a bit of a boost for Simone, whose early work on Birds could be seen as her best superhero work, and had failed to hit the high notes on subsequent Birds series and, despite her well known affection for, the Barbara Batgirl book.
Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Gail Simone
Art by; David Baldeon
Colors by; Jesus Aburtov
Published by; Marvel Worldwide
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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