I really wasn't sure what to expect from this series, but after reading it I have to say . . I really, really liked it. Mark Richards, the Tattooed Man, played such a small role in the Crisis . . really, just a little bit at the end, that we really didn't get to much information about him as a character. We saw his abilities, and what he's capable of . . also that he stepped up to do the right thing, and pick the right side when he needed to, but . . we really didn't get much of a look into what makes him a man, who he really is. That all changes this issue. We start out seeing that, mostly, he's a guy who looks out for himself. However, when thrust into a situation, as in a bank robbery this issue, he will step up and do what is necessary. He's not necessarily trying to be a hero, but, I think, he's just frustrated by the unbalanced nature of crime and evil. Now, I think, he feels he has a chance to even the sides a little bit. And, if he gets a little bit of the spotlight, and some notoriety at the same time, well . . who doesn't like a little gratification and appreciation being spread their way? At the end of Crisis, I think it was Zatanna, but I could be wrong, that gave Mark honorary membership into the Justice League. So now he feels that he deserves the respect that appropriated for a man of that position. However his wife is quick to remind him, "I don't remember Superman bragging about per Diem's to his wife. A piece of plastic doesn't make you somebody they respect. The man inside you does. Most heroes come and go, but the ones who stay are those who do more than stop bullets and leap tall buildings. They show us how to be better people." And even if he can't be everything for everybody, she wants him to at least step up and start with one person . . not herself . . " . . our son. Do you have any idea where he is right now?" Their son , Leon, is hooked up with some people in the wrong crowd. Unfortunately, they've convinced him that he needs to prove himself, and more importantly prove that he's not his father. This part of the city, Liberty Hill, is ripe with corruption. So by the end of the issue, the cops have framed Mark for a murder that Leon committed to join the local gang. So when he tells the police, very angrily, that he'll find the killer for them . . he doesn't realized that he's just put himself on a path towards his own son. I thought this was a great first issue. Mark's character kind of puts me in mind of a very early Luke Cage. You know, full of anger and trying to prove himself. I thought Eric Wallace did a great job with the story. I really like the way the whole thing rolled out. And Fabrizio Florentino's pencils were incredible. This is a series that I'm definitely looking forward to keeping an eye on.
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