Grifter is, again, okay. It’s all of a sudden got Cthulhu references, which is sort of odd, and Edmondson is really confusing about Cash Cole and his brother.

Last issue it seemed like his brother, this issue it seems like they’re both Special Forces and therefore “brothers” but it turns out they’re definitely real brothers.

Maybe.

It’s an all-action issue though, whether it’s Cole or his girlfriend, who’s fighting some new bad guys in Gotham City. Edmondson tries real hard to integrate the comic into the DC Universe geography–Gotham City here, Green Arrow’s city at the end. Grifter, a paranoid sci-fi thriller, doesn’t really belong in continuity, yet it has to be in continuity. It’ll probably lead to some terrible crossovers.

The Cafu art is still all right.

Edmondson recovers from his lame cliffhanger last issue by using it for melodramatic purposes. But he does still recover.

CREDITS

On-Ramp; writer, Nathan Edmondson; penciller, Cafu; inker, Jason Gorder; colorist, Andrew Dalhouse; letterer, Wes Abbott; editors, Katie Kubert and Bobbie Chase; publisher, DC Comics.

For most of the issue, Edmondson’s Grifter is just an alien conspiracy action thriller with the protagonist ludicrously wearing a bandana on his face.

As far as that genre goes, it’s fine. Cafu and Jason Gorder are a little off with some of the figure drawing, but not often, and it moves well. Edmondson’s not trying to reinvent the wheel, he’s just doing an action movie as a comic.

Until the end, when he gets into the stupid. Maybe his big reveal seemed like a good idea back when he was outlining the series to his editors, but it’s a terrible idea and the execution of it is even worse. Because it’s not an original idea; it’s been in some very famous Westerns. Edmondson had plenty of reference material for how to make it work successfully. Instead, he goes on his own.

And, with that failing, Grifter stops being amusing.

CREDITS

The Advantage Angle; writer, Nathan Edmondson; penciller, Cafu; inker, Jason Gorder; colorist, Andrew Dalhouse; letterer, Wes Abbott; editors, Katie Kubert and Bobbie Chase; publisher, DC Comics.

Grifter is not at all what I was expecting.

Well, I suppose I was expecting it to be bad and, while it’s not good, it’s far from bad. It’s actually reasonably interesting… even if the ending is stupid.

The protagonist—whoever came up with the name Cole Cash deserves an eye roll—is kidnapped by aliens and gets implanted or something.

It’s a lot like They Live, only the main character is a blond pretty boy so the property can get licensed. Actually, it’s just DC’s Gambit. It even takes place in New Orleans.

Now, the end is really dumb (how does this guy come up with a design for a mask in a graveyard… oops, sorry, spoiled that dramatic moment), but it’s not terrible.

Shockingly, I’m even curious to see how it turns out.

Maybe guy on the run story mixed with con artist story just appeal to me.

CREDITS

17 Minutes; writer, Nathan Edmondson; penciller, Cafu; inker, Jason Gorder; colorist, Andrew Dalhouse; letterer, Wes Abbott; editors, Katie Kubert and Bobbie Chase; publisher, DC Comics.