Reviewer: Tim Stevens
Story Title: Out of the Past Part Two
Written by: Chuck Dixon
Pencilled by: Scott McDaniel
Inked by: Andy Owens
Colored by: Tony Avina
Lettered by: Phil Balsman
Editor: Michael Wright
Publisher: DC Comics
(Write’s note: asàasàmeans so-so in Spanish”¦just so you know.)
Richard Dragon continues to live his life dangerously. He’s an outlaw, he’s an undercover government operative. He’s two great tastes that taste great together! Also, there appears to be a budding romance with the single mother across the hall (“he’s being hunted by the cops for beating his friend into a coma and he keeps popping up out of nowhere to scare me”¦he sure is dreamy *sigh*”) and the Bronze Tiger finally wakes up.
I’ll keep this sort because, frankly, I can’t muster the enthusiasm to do anything but. I love the Dixon/McDaniel/Owens collaborative team. Their work on Nightwing was most excellent. I like Dixon by himself. I know several people who did not enjoy his run on ‘Tec, but I certainly was not amongst them. He introduced the world to Connor Hawke, too, and I think Connor is just all sorts of excellent. Meanwhile, McDaniel (and I think Owens is usually his inker) is no slouch either. He’s come miles from his Daredevil days, but I liked that at the time, and I have a similar appreciation of his Green Goblin work, his Batman issues, and even his Supes stuff, although I thought he was not the best fit for the title.
So why am I so unmoved by this book?
My theory is that Dragon is such a cipher as a character that I cannot become involved in his story. Dixon is great at characterization on the run. That is books that are action oriented that still give you an understanding of, at least, the protagonist. With Dragon, either Dixon can’t seem to get past the surface or Richard is really just all surface. I’m not sure.
The good news is that McDaniel’s art does not suffer from Dragon’s two dimensional personality and it is enough to make the book a decent momentary diversion. As a story to sink my teeth into, however, it is a disappointment.
