GOOD THING: I don't believe anyone ever requested an explanation for just why Ragdoll is so messed up, even by the standards of villainy in the DC Universe. And yet, with this issue, Gail Simone has given us one - Ragdoll is one of the "lucky" few to be born without a soul.
It's an interesting and wholly logical turn of events, which raises several interesting questions and opens up several potential story ideas. Given that the original Ragdoll was a cult-leader who was recruited by dark powers after his death, it doesn't seem unreasonable that his son might have similar connections. Indeed, one wonders if this may lead to an appearance by the soulless sorcerer anti-hero Faust or if there was some connection between the original Ragdoll and Felix Faust.
BAD THING: The subplot with Liana being kidnapped by a religious fanatic is barely given any time at all in this issue. In fact, we only see her for one page!
If this were being written by any writer other than Gail Simone, I'd be very worried and make some comment on how Liana has become so marginalized as a character that not even her own love interest can be arsed to care about her being potential fridge bait. As it is, this whole subplot is a testament as to how powerful a writer Simone is that we can be made to feel so deeply about a character who is, in essence, a disposable girlfriend... even to the character that she's dating!
The Final Verdict: An amazing issue that gives us a lot more insight into the character of Ragdoll than I ever thought possible. The only real downside is that the subplot involving Scandal Savage's current love interest is given the bare minimum of page time and is not so much a subplot as it is a footnote.
The brevity of the kidnapping plot did bug me a bit, too, but given the page restrictions, the amount of scene setting that had to be done in hell, and the arc nature of the story, I'm willing to give Simone a pass. I also though it subtly underscored the fluid nature of time passage between the realms. That is, lots of things are happening in hell, but we're only maybe 15 minutes later in Liana's plot back in the real world.
ReplyDeleteI think it's building to a definitive resolution of Scandal's "dog with two bones" situation, and that she's going to have to make a choice of who to save in the next issue--with the potentially tragic outcome of being too late to save either. I'm still holding out hope for Liana, but then, I'm a sucker for characters who are too nice for their own good.
(*waves* Long-time lurker, first time poster, btw. Love your little capsule reviews :)
Thanks for reading! I only wish I had more time (and money) to write full reviews and parodies these days.
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