Review: Huntress- Crossbow at the Crossroads

Quick Summary

Pros: The central narrative is fun and has plenty of action. Huntress is written well and her approach to crimefighting is entertaining to watch. The artwork looks good and suits the story.

Cons: The book doesn’t contain much when it comes to meaning and emotion.

Overall: This is a book about a vigilante hero taking on bad guys and having fun while doing so. Huntress’s actions across this collection are well-written and help develop a narrative that is consistently entertaining. This leads to a book that is lacking when it comes to meaning but fully delivers on action. As long as you aren’t looking for something deep or meaningful, this collection works as a fun trip with a cool lead character.

Story

Huntress: Crossbow at the Crossroads, by Paul Levitz, is a fun and unapologetic crusade against crime starring an awesome heroine. It centers around Huntress’s attempt to dismantle a criminal network stretching across Italy. This straightforward mission forces her to use cunning, strategy, and a few cool gadgets to take down a variety of opponents. The only real problem with this book is that, outside of the action, it doesn’t really do anything meaningful and doesn’t contain anything close to a diverse range of emotion. However, for those looking just looking for action and crimefighting, this collection has a lot to offer.

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Huntress: Crossbow at the Crossroads is bombastic and fun from start to finish. Over the course of this book, Huntress uncovers a criminal network in Italy, begins dismantling it by thoroughly overwhelming its members, and eventually puts an end to a number of crimes against society, women in particular. This entire escapade is a fun and straightforward approach to heroics that has action and tension at every turn but still allows the reader to constantly feel confident in the success of the hero.

Where writer Paul Levitz really succeeds is in depicting Huntress’s ability to “hunt” and take down her prey. Nearly every chapter has Helena take her time and figure out the best method for approaching the person she is targeting at that moment. Then, she executes her plan with precision and even shows an ability to compensate when improvisation is required. Watching this occur in a variety of different ways is entertaining and presents a very classic vigilante reading experience.

However, outside of the action and heroics, Huntress: Crossbow at the Crossroads doesn’t really have a lot to offer. At times, it feels like the collection is saying something about corruption in the government or the Arab Spring but none of it develops into anything substantial. Human trafficking is the only issue that feels substantially addressed but the way it is handled is lackluster, as it is never portrayed as horrific and terrible as it could have been portrayed. Plus, besides determination from Huntress and fear from her enemies, the entire collection is pretty devoid of emotion. These problems will not affect the reading experience for those just looking for action but they do prevent the book from being well-rounded in any way.

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Art

The artwork in Huntress: Crossbow at the Crossroads is solid and presents a pleasing take on the characters and locations of this story. Marcus To depicts Huntress and her pursuit of justice with a great level of detail and lays out the pages with a focus on action that works well with the story. In addition, To’s work here really helps bring Italy to life and allows it to play a part of the narrative. During the day, the artwork presents a country bathed in sunlight and ripe with beauty. Then, during the night, the criminal element begins to seep in and the country seems more sinister. The end result complements the narrative and the variety of locations visited make the collection feel like a short trip across this Mediterranean peninsula.

Continuity

Huntress: Crossbow at the Crossroads is the only volume in the Huntress New 52 miniseries. Since the New 52 resets the DC Comics continuity, this is a completely fresh take on this character that does not require any prior reading.

Huntress’s story is directly continued in the Worlds’ Finest Vol. 1: The Lost Daughters of Earth 2 (Review), which helps explain her actions in the final pages of this book.