Rating: 
Summary: Rucka Rocks
Review: .
Batman is a classic hero, one of the best.Huntress is an anti-hero, also one of the best. And Greg Rucka...well, he's the best. The best writer working in mainstream comics, that is, as well as a damn fine writer of suspense fiction. I've always loved Batman and the Huntress, but Rucka was the reason I picked this up. It's a tale of realistic gangsters, not supervillains. It has in-depth characters with complex motivations and emotions. It also has one of the best little-known DC heroes, The Question, a man with no face who walks the mean streets looking for answers to...well, to everything, always ready with a bit of kung fu when needed. I saw one of the other reviews compare this to "The Long Halloween." Frankly, I think TLH is radically overrated, and a hodgepodge of vignettes with mostly no actual connection. It also lacks humanity, by which I mean it doesn't present any characters in a way that makes you really care what happens to them. Interesting, yes. Great, uh-uh. This book is far better than "The Long Halloween." But hey, it's Greg Rucka. And as good as Jeph Loeb is, he's not on Rucka's level, not yet.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible script and art...
Review: Given a good writer and artist to work with, a character like the Huntress would make for good comic book reading, but here you don't get. It reads more like an episode of "One Life To Live", with enough corny dialoge to kepp anyone laughing all through the book.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible script and art...
Review: Given a good writer and artist to work with, a character like the Huntress would make for good comic book reading, but here you don't get. It reads more like an episode of "One Life To Live", with enough corny dialoge to kepp anyone laughing all through the book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fresh, New Batman Story
Review: I don't really care about the Huntress. Well, I used to not care about her; until I read this story. Before I read this, I percieved the Huntress to be just another murderous vigilante in Gotham City. But this series really fleshes out her character, and adds a mystery to her origin. Greg Rucka is proving to be one of the best Batman writers out there, because his Batman fights with his mind just as much as his fists. The man can sure write an intriguing mystery.
Another reason why I enjoyed it so much was because a favorite character of mine makes his return appearrance. It's none other than the Question, the faceless avenger of Hub City. Denny O' Neil's Question series back in the late 80's is a classic, and Rucka does not dissappoint, making the Question just as cool as he was back then.
Finally, it's hard to not compliment Rick Burchett's excellent artwork. He's the best Batman artist this side of Neal Adams. Many people say his art is too simplistic, but it fits this story perfectly. So do yourself a favor and buy this TP. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: A Fresh, New Batman Story
Review: I don't really care about the Huntress. Well, I used to not care about her; until I read this story. Before I read this, I percieved the Huntress to be just another murderous vigilante in Gotham City. But this series really fleshes out her character, and adds a mystery to her origin. Greg Rucka is proving to be one of the best Batman writers out there, because his Batman fights with his mind just as much as his fists. The man can sure write an intriguing mystery.
Another reason why I enjoyed it so much was because a favorite character of mine makes his return appearrance. It's none other than the Question, the faceless avenger of Hub City. Denny O' Neil's Question series back in the late 80's is a classic, and Rucka does not dissappoint, making the Question just as cool as he was back then.
Finally, it's hard to not compliment Rick Burchett's excellent artwork. He's the best Batman artist this side of Neal Adams. Many people say his art is too simplistic, but it fits this story perfectly. So do yourself a favor and buy this TP. You won't regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Story, Important Batman Developments
Review: I enjoyed Cry For Blood. Its a nice little tale, even though Rucka is usually capable of much better. The simple artwork suited the Godfather-like theme of the story which revealse a little more about the Huntress's crime family background. It makes you care a little more for Huntress and makes you undertsand her motivations better.
The Question makes an appearance but his motivation for helping Huntress seems a little vague. Still, the two characters work together very well.
If you are a Batman or Huntress fan, this collection is good to have because it includes developments which have changed the relationship between Huntress and Batman, which were previously improving. It also reveals some of the flaws in Batman's ideology, from the point of view of another person, Huntress.
Rating:
Summary: An effective story
Review: I like Greg Rucka a lot. I like Batman even more. Here Rucka uses the Batman family as a backdrop for a tired mafia tale using the Huntress as the anti-hero. "The Question", a minor DC character, is thrown in as a foil to move the story along and allow Huntress someone to confide in; much exposition ensues. The art is solid, if a little uninspired at times. I am not down on the artist at all, but as Batman mafia stories go this pales greatly against Tim Sale/Jeph Loeb's "Long Halloween" or "Dark Victory" epics. I respect that a 6 issue miniseries only allows so much character and story development (Long Halloween was told over 12 issues). However, other than the Huntress none of the other cast is developed very much (The Question? Who cares). A past relationship between Huntress and Nightwing is alluded to and would have made for a much more interesting subtext. Greg Rucka does much better work in the recent "Queen & Country" for OniPress, which is now available as both hard and softcover collections ...
Rating:
Summary: Great Crime Story
Review: This is not a batman book. Although there is batman in the story. This is not a super-hero book. Although there are many super-heros (robin III, nightwing, oracle, Question?). This is the crime story. Period. Art is not top-notch but not hurt the story either. And writing of "Greg Rucka" really really shine here. Before this, I haven't read Greg Rucka before. But after this, I am looking out for his other works. This TPB is rather thin and I wish it was thicker with more stories thrown in. Anyway, the story will keep you on the edge from start to finish. This book can be read as stand alone if you don't know anything about Gotham City, batman or huntress. But if you know, it is added bonus. It is past No-Man's Land in Gotham City timeline and Huntress is trying to leave her one night stand with Night Wing behind. Well, the story is not profound. But it will sure make you hook just like good crime stories. If you like 100 Bullets kinda crime stories and God Father like movies, this TPB is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Great Crime Story
Review: This is not a batman book. Although there is batman in the story. This is not a super-hero book. Although there are many super-heros (robin III, nightwing, oracle, Question?). This is the crime story. Period. Art is not top-notch but not hurt the story either. And writing of "Greg Rucka" really really shine here. Before this, I haven't read Greg Rucka before. But after this, I am looking out for his other works. This TPB is rather thin and I wish it was thicker with more stories thrown in. Anyway, the story will keep you on the edge from start to finish. This book can be read as stand alone if you don't know anything about Gotham City, batman or huntress. But if you know, it is added bonus. It is past No-Man's Land in Gotham City timeline and Huntress is trying to leave her one night stand with Night Wing behind. Well, the story is not profound. But it will sure make you hook just like good crime stories. If you like 100 Bullets kinda crime stories and God Father like movies, this TPB is for you.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: This is really a very good book and definitely proves that Greg Rucka is currently one of the best writers in comic books today. I love it so much I pick it up time and time again to read. I disagree and think that his best writing is in mainstream comics as opposed to independents because there are certain topics which have to be handled carefully and requires much more fines, than simply using the bull in the China shop approach. He is one of the best things that ever happened to DC comics. Helena Bertinelli is the daughter of a former mob boss who witnessed the execution of her entire family before her eyes as a child. Now all grown up she has embarked on a one woman quest to wipe out the mob in Gotham. She gets framed for a murder and has to figure out who did it. In the process she finds out something very shocking about herself as well as why she survived the massacre on her family. In the usual Rucka fashion he looks into the demons and what drives Helena/Huntress. And forces her to examine herself, and what she is running away from. Other appearances of Huntress may have portrayed her as a spiteful, difficult woman with a chip on her shoulder. But Rucka shows her to be much more than that. Which is great since people are not that simplistic. The common stereotype of Huntress is that she's "crazy". Nothing could be further from the truth. Helena Bertinelli is a very sane, intelligent and lucid woman-her problem is that she has a little problem with anger . When you look at it Huntress and Batman are essentially two sides of the same coin. The only difference is that Batman has his anger and emotions under control, whereas Huntress doesn't. Also Huntress doesn't have Batman's (self-righteous) reluctance to kill. She may be angry, but she is also realistic. There is no sense in sparing the life of a mass murderer who will get out of prison (if he gets caught) and kill again. Huntress secretly craves the approval of Batman (who inspired her) and longs to be a part of his inner circle. But not at the cost of betraying who she is. She senses that Batman & co. do not approve of her---and she wants to be accepted for who she is. Unlike other comic book heroines whom I like (such as the X-men's Storm, Psylocke and Emma Frost or the Wildcats Zealot) Huntress is not the kind of woman I would like to be. She is the kind of woman I am right now. She's flawed but has a very good heart and tries to do what is right in her own way. She also has a strong sense of pride and self-respect which drive her. This all makes her much easier to relate to. I would also like to mention the dialogue in this book, it is much more every day and realistic. Such as the back and forth banter (flirtation) between Huntress and the Question. What Rucka does with Huntress in this book is awe-inspiring. This surely is one of the best stories in the Batman books and is destined to be a classic.
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