Review: Grifter Vol. 2- Newfound Power

Quick Summary

Pros: There is a lot of action here.

Cons: Everything established by the previous volume is instantly thrown away when this book starts. The entire plotline in this book is confusing and all over the place. The writing is bad when it comes to both fight scenes and dialogue.

Overall: This is not a good comic book. Inconsistent power levels, continuity errors, a confusing narrative, awful dialogue, and a completely disappointing ending make this one of the worst DC Comics of this time period and give readers little to look forward to in reading. The last volume could be justified as blockbuster style action with a mediocre story, but this volume is far too flawed to receive such high praise. This is not a book we would ever recommend reading.

Story

Grifter Vol. 2: Newfound Power takes everything bad about the first book and amplifies it, while discarding anything good. Power levels are even more inconsistent, the book is rife with continuity errors, and the resolution to the entire series is as disappointing as it is meaningless. There is still some fun, over-the-top action here for those who enjoy that sort of thing, but even this is hard to appreciate due to the confusing narrative. This is not a book I would recommend anyone reading as fans of Grifter will only leave it disappointed and fans of ridiculous action can find something better elsewhere.

(spoilers start here)

From the very beginning of this book, everything about the previous book is thrown out the window. This Grifter acts different, talks different, and has a completely different backstory. While retcons like this are commonplace in comic books, they typically don’t happen within the first dozen issues of an already recently retconned series. This effects the entire book from the start and makes the whole series feel even more messy and ill constructed than it already was.

Newfound Power starts out by following Grifter as he joins a group of soldiers who are also out to stop the Daemonite invasion. This part of the story, while still not good, is probably the best part of the book. It is a barrage of mindless action that is enhanced even more by stronger enemies and advanced firepower. It all comes to a head as Grifter faces off against Helspont, though the conclusion to that story ends up happening over in Superman Vol. 2: Secrets and Lies (Review), even though statements made in this volume conflict with that storyline.

The next few issues go downhill fast as the book’s most convoluted and confusing storyline begins. Grifter is revealed to have been captured by Daemonites many times, with a man named Warick saving him each time. All of a sudden, the previously unintroduced Warick and Grifter are old pals, until Grifter discovers that Warick is a previously institutionalized conspiracy theorist talking about alien invasions. He gets made at him, despite the fact that Warick is clearly telling the truth about everything. Then, for no adequately explained reason, Warick commits suicide via zoo animals in what may be the most ridiculous moment in a very ridiculous series.

The biggest problem with this book, outside the awful narrative, is the way Grifter’s powers are handled. One minute he will have no problem taking down dozens of Daemonites using his telekinesis, yet the next minute he will have trouble beating Midnighter. Any suspense during his fights with the Suicide Squad or Daemonites is lost with the knowledge that he could kill all of them at any moment if he were to simply use his powers. This plunges readers into a constant state of waiting for him to use his powers and wondering why he hasn’t used his powers yet.

On top of all of this, the dialogue is simply awful. Grifter is no longer the stoic hero he was in the first volume, instead he is a wisecracking Deadpool clone who’s random jokes and pop culture references only seek to hurt his already dwindling reputation. There are maybe one or two jokes throughout this entire book that are worth reading, the rest range from being mediocre to flat out bad. At one point in time, Grifter unironically says “time to blow this popsicle stand,” which is perhaps the pinnacle of bad writing throughout this entire series.

(spoilers end here)

Art

In our review of Grifter Vol. 1, we discussed Scott Clark’s artwork as being “not horrible” but “far from good.” Those sentiments echo in this volume, where a similar level of quality is presented. However, I had a specific problem with the presentation of the new character Niko. The writers clearly wanted this character to be Cheshire (as indicated by the solicitations for this comic) but could not use her for some reason. So, instead, Niko was developed as a unique character, despite clearly having a Cheshire styled outfit and color scheme. This copy and paste method of character creation feels lazy and, when combined with her skimpy outfit in the snow covered mountains, makes her character seem pretty ridiculous.

This book’s other artist is Marat Mychaels who, in a similar fashion, manages to draw issues that are alright but not great. The big problem here is that jumping back and forth between Clark and Mychaels issues can be a little jarring and annoying. Their art styles are similar but have enough differences that readers will be able to notice. Overall, this makes the art in this entire volume below average, though not nearly as bad as the story.

Continuity

Grifter Vol. 2: Newfound Power starts right where Grifter Vol. 1: Most Wanted (Review) left off.

This series was cancelled after this volume and Grifter’s adventures do not directly continue in any specific book.

This volume also references and continues the stories from other comic books, detailed below:

• The wreck in the Himalayas and Midnighter’s involvement are explained by Stormwatch Vol. 1: The Dark Side (Review).
• Helspont’s appearance sets things up for Superman Vol. 2: Secrets and Lies (Review).
• Grifter knows Voodoo from Voodoo Vol. 2: Killer in Me.

 

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