So, um, Grifter #8...

[BugsySig]

I think I am done with this book. Good art and plenty of action, but the writing is terrible. SPOILERS ahead...


...they start off by killing off that girl who was helping Grifter that I don't care about because she was never really introduced or given a background story. She wasn't even in the last issue. Am I supposed to be shocked by her death? I can't even remember her name. And the big return of Max Cash, or really just his body possessed by a Daemonite, could have been a good reveal if it hadn't happened on page 3. My 2 year old could build more character and suspense in an indecipherable crayon scribble.

Then they end with a Daemonite saying this was their plan for Grifter the whole time...ok, whatever. I guess this is all Rob Leifeld making sure the status quo is where he wants it when he takes over scripting next month, but what's the point? Please, DC, just cancel this book and Voodoo already, insert them in a new Wildcats book, then put a writer that knows what the freak they're doing on it with one of the artists from those two books.

[gma2darescue]

I gave up after issue 1. I've never heard of the character before the New 52 (or Flashpoint, really), but he looked pretty badass.
I don't want to say I hated that issue, because I didn't, but it seems that as it goes on, nothing's really getting done.

This "Edge" grouping isn't really showing great results, critically or commercially.

[The Shogun]

I agree, when she died i was just like already? We just saw her for what 1 or 2 issues? Not that much known about her so when she died i was more like meh. The same thing with gretchen, the characters are getting killed off so quick it makes it hard to grow attached to them.

[Fate's Faith]

Um, no, don't cancel Voodoo

[Roldan]

I think I am done with this book. Good art and plenty of action, but the writing is terrible. SPOILERS ahead...


...they start off by killing off that girl who was helping Grifter that I don't care about because she was never really introduced or given a background story. She wasn't even in the last issue. Am I supposed to be shocked by her death? I can't even remember her name. And the big return of Max Cash, or really just his body possessed by a Daemonite, could have been a good reveal if it hadn't happened on page 3. My 2 year old could build more character and suspense in an indecipherable crayon scribble.

Then they end with a Daemonite saying this was their plan for Grifter the whole time...ok, whatever. I guess this is all Rob Leifeld making sure the status quo is where he wants it when he takes over scripting next month, but what's the point? Please, DC, just cancel this book and Voodoo already, insert them in a new Wildcats book, then put a writer that knows what the freak they're doing on it with one of the artists from those two books.

I'm pretty sure Frank Tieri's writing it too. I'm gonna check it because i would like to give a a new creative team a chance before i criticize it.

[Reginleif]

Um, no, don't cancel Voodoo

^ also America

[sage6paths]

Am I the only one that loves Grifter? There is genius in this book or I maybe insane. I loved that they kill people we don't know much about. There is a purpose to it. We should only care about Grifter. He is one of the few people that knows the truth. All those superheros have no clue whats going to happen and Grifter is just one person fighting for the world without the world caring. This book is genius or I am incredibly insane.

[_Pandora_]

Why would anyone give up on this book when the next issue #9 has a new creative team. A new cast of characters join Grifter too. I'm not sure if their temporary or permanent yet. But with a new writer the very next issue, this book will be a bit different. Usually books can get better with a new writer. I know I'm reading the next story arc with Cheshire in it. Not sure about after that arc, but it is a possibility I could read it further than that.

[Raye]

I will give the first issue a chance, but I can't stand Liefeld's writing, so I am not optimistic. I know, he's just plotting, so we don't have to put up with his horrendous dialogue, but from what I can gather about the plots, they seem kinda... mindless. I like to think a bit with my comics, even if they are action characters.

Am I the only one that loves Grifter? There is genius in this book or I maybe insane. I loved that they kill people we don't know much about. There is a purpose to it. We should only care about Grifter. He is one of the few people that knows the truth. All those superheros have no clue whats going to happen and Grifter is just one person fighting for the world without the world caring. This book is genius or I am incredibly insane.

I don't hate it, but I do think it has serious flaws. I think several of the ideas have been good, but the execution somewhat lacking (which can be said of many of the Edge books) Killing characters while caring nothing for them is bad writing, even if it is Grifter's book. Yes, we should care primarily about him, but in a solo book, we should be living vicariously through the main character; if we don't care about the secondary characters, why should we believe he does? Even with his brother, we saw so little of him prior to his death that we didn't get a lot of sense of what his and Cole's relationship was like, we were expected to care just because they shared blood. Just because they are secondary characters doesn't mean they should be written as props for Grifter. We should be SHOWN why he feels what he does about the people in his life.

[Mr. Holmes]

Yeah this book has been disappointing, considering Who is Jake Ellis was really good. It's not horrible, and I only dropped it to make way for Nocienti's Green Arrow. I'm hoping they can do better with a WildCATS book.

[This]

I have given titles like

Grifter and Voodoo and Deathstroke and Resurrection Man and Captain Atom and Blue Beetle and Fury Of Firestrom: The Nuclear Men a few reads.
But they are just so boring and insignificant when compared to the other D C books and many of the titles marvel is putting out.

Where is Doom Patrol or Adam Strange or Spectre or Metal Men or Donna Troy or Wally West????

[wiski]

We should only care about Grifter.

That's one of the reasons I stopped reading on issue #5, a good writer makes you care about more than just the title character, so that there is some impact when something happens to them. In 'Grifter', I couldn't get myself to care about ANYONE in the comic, including the title character.

'Grifter' started out looking like it was gonna be good, but now it seems like it's just a bunch of random action sequences.

[Harbinger of Apocalypse]

I was actually a bit confused by the beginning because thats how the first issue started with him on a plane. Almost thought it was a flashback and got disappointed they just killed that lady off already. Seemed... a bit pointless... why introduce her in the first place again? Nothing really resonated with him about her death beyond just shaking Grifter's life up. Though I am curious now about the Daemonites plans because it seems there is a dissident faction who have their own motives.

[havok1977]

I'm pretty sure Frank Tieri's writing it too. I'm gonna check it because i would like to give a a new creative team a chance before i criticize it.

Yeah I also dropped this book after the first issue - sad that after a single issue I just knew it was going nowhere, but since I really liked Tieri's run on Wolverine back in the early 2000s and I'm willing to give his Grifter a sample despite doing so under Rob's shadow.

[BugsySig]

I guess I should have prefaced my review by indicating that I grew up in comics with the original Wildstorm books and LOVED Grifter because he was bad-ass and mysterious. This new incarnation just doesn't fit with the character. He comes off as whiney and confused about everything. It is very hard to take a character like Grifter, who works very well in a group dynamic, and focus a solo ongoing origin book. The Grifter I know just wouldnt behave this way. I know it is a reboot, but you cant take away most of what made a character great and expect it to still be great.

As far as the people around him dying, again if the writers were able to properly show us Grifter's feelings towards them, then it would be more effective to see everyone arouind him die and leave him alone. Even if that was the point, though, Grifter should be focused on going it alone so others dont get hurt...NOT LOOKING TO RECRUIT MORE PEOPLE TO HIS WAR! It's just bad writing that I don't think can be fixed at this time.

I realize their is a new creative team coming in, and I will read the reviews to see if their take is an improvement, but I A) highly doubt this book can recover and B) assume this book will be cancelled by issue 16 anyway.