Manhunter #31 Review

MANHUNTER #31
Written by Marc Andreyko
Art by Michael Gaydos

While I haven't exactly been a longtime fan of Manhunter, I make up for it with enthusiasm. Manhunter is easily one of the best DC titles on the market and I'm sure longtime fans have been eagerly awaiting this issue, which marks the return from a lengthy hiatus for the title.

You can read my review of the first two tradepaper backs if you want to know what I thought of the opening arc or to get acclimated with the book if you opted not to pick it up right away, but there's a nice two page recap that fills in all the pertinent information for new and old fans alike. I literally just finished reading the last of the trades for the book last night, so it was of little use for me, but it gets the job done and you shouldn't let the scary #31 act as a barrier to picking up a great series like this one.

For reference, I rank this title up with my love for Blue Beetle, Catwoman, Immortal Iron Fist, Captain America and so on. The series is that damn good and I implore you to take a chance on this issue if you can spare $3 this week. Enough gushing, let's start with the actual review.

As I said we start with a quick two page recap of the last thirty issues of Manhunter. It's short and sweet and is an excellent refresher and / or primer for the readers after the hiatus. I'll start off by talking about the new artist, Michael Gaydos. To be frank, I haven't really enjoyed his work since Alias ended and I'm not sure if there are multiple inkers on this issue or not, but it varies from Alias good to bad alla the recent New Avengers issue he did. It's not a bad fit, stylewise, for the book, but the consistency is a bit off and I'm hoping they can fix that in the future, whether it is the inkers fault or if he was rushed or what have you.

As befitting of a soft relaunch, our story is a bit of a new meets old. We get introductions to the main character and her supporting cast, told what her job is, the problems she's put up with relating to her father and other Manhunter-related issues and, for the new, we start a new storyline that's pretty much unrelated to what came before in the form of a murder mystery at the Mexican border. There's also a short fight with the Atomic Skull early in the issue that acts as a shot of adrenaline to the plot to get the blood pumping and shows us Manhunter in action for the uninitiated.

One scene, in particular, that stood out for me was with Kate Spencer's defacto tech guy, Dylan Battles. He's currently dating Cameron Chase, an old 90's character you may or may not remember. While talking on the phone, Dylan notices a package was dropped on his doorstep and jokes about it being a gift from Chase. She denies it and, after opening it, he lets out a scream as the box ends up being a jack-in-the-box. Nothing worth screaming over, right? Well, this one is from the Joker and has a severed head for the "jack" and a picture of Joker and Dylan from when he used to be a goon for hire for super villains and a thoughtful "miss you" card from Mr. J. Not something one would want to receive and a nice subplot to look forward to in the future.

The final major development in this issue comes with the trip to the Mexican border to find a missing girl for Kate's assistant at her law office. After finding a pile of dead bodies and severed human body parts, Kate realizes this simple kidnapping is far more serious than she thought. Before she can do anything about it, though, there's some blue coloured targetting screens on her and text boxes assessing the threat. I immediately though, "No way, it can't be.", but, yes, Andreyko has managed to blend not one, but two of my favourite characters into one book. Yes, Jaime Reyes, the Blue Beetle, shows up at the end of this issue in a nerdgasm of a cliffhanger.

Verdict - Must Read. All in all, it's a great return and there's elements of what came before and enough new stuff to make this "first" issue great for new and returning readers. Add the Blue Beetle to the mix and this kicks of a great return for Manhunter and a definite must read for anyone interested in good comics.

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