[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Written by: Jody Houser
Art by: Shawn Crystal
Colors by: Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Summary
Violet is recovering from her surgery and is ready to go out again. Even if it is against the wishes of her doctor. She ends up going to a party with a date and quickly ditches her when she sees someone she thinks she knows from her time in Gather House, that place she burnt down as a teenager. And where she seems to have learned many of her fighting skills. The red-haired young lady seems not to know her and Violet lets her go.
Meanwhile, the rats seem to be taking over back home and Violet’s mother has a visitor….
After the party, Violet laments that her date actually seemed to care. After Bruce Wayne-ing her, Violet gets into costume to track down the young woman she believes to be from her past. Violet breaks and enters a bedroom on a large estate. She interrogates her in her bed, and the young woman can barely answer. What we learn is that this young woman betrayed Violet at Gather House. She felt used at Gather House. And she knows it’s her friend Violet under the white armor of Mother Panic!
The young lady apologizes profusely and Violet has no idea how to proceed.
Positives
It’s high time we learned more about Violet’s past. While there have been bits and pieces here and there, this story line seems like at least this one aspect of her past will take the forefront – Gather House. We’ve seen in previous issues that Violet was under some sort of training at this place that was ostensibly an orphanage?
Having Violet find another “alumnus” adds an element of humanity to the situation and focuses on character instead of crisis or conflict. It’s very different that the red haired girl recognizes violet in her Mother Panic outfit. This is very different from what normally happens in super-hero comics. It also provides Violet with a completely unexpected challenge, one that will test her humanity.
Negatives
This issue seems to meander for a while. There are bits and pieces that don’t seem to be heading anywhere, and unfortunately, in this issue they never do. It’s easy to imagine they will in future issues, but at this point they are vague and disparate.
Verdict
The last quarter of this issue makes up for the first three-fourths. While everyone loves a mystery, sometimes a more direct story telling approach is needed. The more we learn about Violet’s past, the better, but at some point she’s going to have to begin to move forward.
