Ex-Con #3

Writer – Duane Swierczynski
Artist – Keith Burns
Colours – Aikau Oliva

Duane Swierczynski continues his tale of a con-man trying to get out of the trouble he finds himself in, yet with that trouble coming from many different directions, literally everywhere he turns, it is definitely easier said than done.  Cody Pomeroy is a fun character, kind of like Michael Weston from Burn Notice except the exact opposite.  Instead of finding ways out of situations, he gets himself into them.  He is absolutely fascinating due to that fact and it really makes the story Swierczynski is trying to tell all that much better because of it.  Cody’s parole officer seems to have some ulterior motive for wanting to get closer to him yet he cannot seem to figure it out.  The job he is supposed to be doing for the man that kept him safe in prison is not going according to plan and if he does not start coming up with some results, things could turn out really badly with said man.  His ex-girlfriend is hiding things from him, yet has no qualms in seducing him to sway him to her whims and he of course finds it almost impossible to resist.  Cody has no idea what to do, when to do it and keeps getting turned around with every little bit of information that he discovers.  And for the reader, it is absolutely entertaining.  This is definitely one of Dynamite’s better titles at the moment, one that keeps you guessing just as much as it does the lead character.

4 out of 5

Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier #2

Writer – Ales Kot
Artist – Marco Rudy

This title should have been a win right out of the gate, with the hype from the movie carrying it and an awesome lead-in from Original Sin.  Yet the book which started out fairly decent is only getting worse with this second issue.  Most of that fault lies with Marvel and its choice of artist in Marco Rudy.  Ordinarily, Rudy does some great work, and it is not as if the work he does in this book is actually terrible.  The artwork simply does not fit the character or the story and is doing it the biggest disservice, especially to new readers.  Also, while the first story was somewhat interesting, the one featured in this issue is just a mess with all the psychedelic Loki madness going on.  There were a couple of good lines given to Daisy Johnson, but not enough to ultimately save the book.  Frankly, it just seems like a good opportunity that was wasted, yet it does still have potential with a good premise and a couple of plotlines that could make the book quite interesting with time.  Okay is the best description to give this particular issue.

2.5 out of 5