I kind of have a compliment here, but . . it's a criticism at the same time. First of all, I think this is a great book. Judd Winick is doing a fantastic job with this story. I really enjoy the roller-coaster ride of emotion that he's been taking us on since the first issue. Secondly, I've really enjoyed the artwork of Cliff Chiang on this book so far. That's his work on the cover there, to the right. However . . and this is where the, kind of, back-handed compliment comes in . . it appears that Mike Norton is taking over the art chores for the foreseeable future. Mike is relatively new to the field, but I think he's grown at an incredible rate. I've complimented his work in other books. However, with the 2 issues he's done of this book, he's really changed his style to mimic, almost exactly, Cliff's. I'm sure this is for the continuity of the story . . or series . . or whatever. But, I personally, would rather just see him be himself. He's a talented artist, and I know this is probably out of respect for Cliff. But, as a reader, we can take the change. We may not be happy about it, but . . it's inevitable. It happens all the time in every title out there. I can't think of a single new book that's come out in the last couple of years . . with the exception of the Astonishing X-Men . . that the artist that's started the book, has lasted all the way through the first 12 issues. It's just that I think that some of his work, especially in this issue, is diminished by his attempt to look like Cliff's. That's just my opinion, but I know he's more talented than some of the frames that came across in this issue. The story is fantastic. We're dealing, it appears, with the League of Assassins now. And at the end of the book, we get a surprise appearance by . . . Plastic Man? Next issue is titled, "When the Rubber meets the road!!" I really do love this book.
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