Grifter is one of my personal favorites of the New 52. Nathan Edmondson took the concept of Grifter and pushed it to an entirely new level. As the months have gone on though the Wildstorm characters that have merged into the new DC Universe have had mixed results. This issue starts to push the concept of the Daemonites into the larger realm of the new DCU. With this issue as well, Green Arrow is having a confrontation with Grifter so I figure this would be a perfect time to give you all some updated thoughts on the series. One major change in this issue is we have a new artist in Scott Clark replacing CAFU on this title, I am unsure about this but I keep an open mind.
This issue starts off strong, giving you a nice introduction to Grifter as well as throwing you into him trying to find Oliver Queen a.k.a Green Arrow. It’s a non stop mad dash battle through Green Arrow’s Q-Core Headquarters and Seattle, Washington. Edmonson does a nice job in making this issue part friendly for new readers and also a nice intro to Green Arrow within the new DCU. It does go for the general misunderstanding battle like all good super hero fights but it makes sense. This is the issue where I got the strongest Bourne series vibe. Especially in a few sequences that felt like they came straight from the movies, that’s how well executed they were.
Within the positives of this issue, Scott Clark’s art is going to require some time to get used to. In parts it looks like he’s trying his best to keep a continuity with CAFU’s art on this series which is a good thing. You can tell though he’s trying to balance that throughout the issue, since at times he makes Grifter look over muscled and that looks off compared to past issues. In the latter part of the issue you can see he’s getting the hang of the characters, which gives me hopes for future issues of his run. Considering what happens in that latter half I am interested in seeing just what is going to happen in the next issue.
In my own opinion, Grifter remains one of best books of the New 52. In my own opinion. I’m going to be interested in seeing in the months to come just where this series is going to go. Nathan Edmondson just has a good handle on Grifter and you can see he has a solid view of where he wants to take this series. Even with a new artist on board, Scott Clark has potential and I want to see how he develops on this series. If you aren’t already reading Grifter this would be a good time to hop on board the series. The issue explains everything you need to know and I would recommend hopping on sooner rather than later. You don’t want to miss a single issue of Grifter.
