Midnighter #1 Review

Midnighter

writer- Steve Orlando

artist- Aco

He's dark, he's gritty, and he's looking for love. He's Midnighter, and his new series is hot. In this new new regular title by writer Steve Orlando, Midnighter tries to live a normal existence alongside the deadly life of a super powered vigilante. Excitement and ultra violence abound, this isn't a kid's book, but it is something fans of the former Stormwatch character will enjoy.

Midnighter is trying to live something of a normal life outside the super powered world. He's single after a recent split from Apollo and goes onto an online dating site trying to find the right person. But at what cost? Is his “job” something one can just push out of the way sometimes, in order to be a normal person? Good question. Orlando takes us with Midnighter on his first date. There's a sensitive side to the character we've only seen slightly during his time with DC, but we get to witness him open up in this first issue. He genuinely likes the guy he's on the date with, so he tells him what he does for a living. He pretty much tells the guy that he kills people and the word hero isn't in his job description. We get the idea and the date gets the idea that Midnighter is more heroic than he allows himself to believe. What he does isn't pretty, and it often ends with someone's brains splattered all over the wall, but he's got a heart and I think the writer is trying to show us just how much of a heart he has. Of course the first date goes all haywire when terrorists burst into the restaurant they're at. This is where we get to see this complex character in action.

There's a lot to Midnighter that writers haven't explored since he showed up in DC's New 52. This book is taking us there. He obviously has a heart. He wants to be loved and he's been hurt by whatever happened in his relationship with Apollo. And we get to learn more about what he can do. In the restaurant fight scene, we're shown the dynamics of how his powers work. There's a computer in his brain that calculates all the various ways he could win a fight. It does so with incredible speed, so Midnighter can react before his opponent even knows he's there. On top of that, he has accelerated healing. Very cool. As far as his love life, as much as he wants to love someone and wants to be loved, we get to see that he's got some baggage that might make a relationship difficult. Orlando is great about showing the sensitive side of Midnighter. And he's good at showing us the violent side of Midnighter. He's also good at showing us that because of Midnighter's baggage, he can also be a little bit scary.

I'm embarrassed to say that this is the first book I've read by Steve Orlando. He has a knack for the gritty violent side of the superhero universe that made Midnighter popular years ago. And he's god at writing deep, dark, deranged characters with soul. It's definitely enough to make a fan out of me.

As for the art in Midnighter, Aco's pencils and co-inking duties give the book a real edgy feel. The style is rough and looks almost grimy, but it's clear enough to come across strong and instill an unsettling feeling of danger in the reader. When art itself can do that, you have a great artist.

I'm unfamiliar with both of these creators, but I'm looking for more. In fact, Midnighter is going on my Top 5 reading list of current DC Comics. It'll be fun seeing where this goes, how Apollo is going to fit in it again, and what DC characters might show up to make things more interesting. Check it out at your favorite comic shop. Midnighter #1. Tell them you're going Outside The Cube.