Crosswind #6 - A Review

Chicago Hitman Cason Bennett and Seattle housewife Juniper Blue have finally come face-to-face. No mean trick given that the two of them had their souls switched between their respective bodies. Unfortunately, they have little time to bond over the strangeness of the situation, with Juniper's abusive husband, Cason's rival in The Outfit and the man responsible for setting this all up converging on Juniper's home looking for revenge.


Crosswind #6 proves a strong ending to what has turned out to be the first season of the series. I'm not quite sure how they'll continue on from this conclusion but I can't wait to see how they do so. Gail Simone's writing has rarely been wittier. Cat Stagg's artwork is phenomenal. And Simon Bowland does a fantastic job making the text readable and not covering up too much of the artwork.

If you missed out on this series, don't despair. The TP will be out in a few short weeks!

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10. A great conclusion to a great season!

Crosswind #5 - A Review

The mystery behind how Chicago hitman Cason Bennett and Seattle housewife Juniper Blue switched bodies has been revealed... to Cason's rival, Cruz. Now, as two sinister revenge schemes spiral toward completion, Juniper must save herself and Cason's lady-friend while Cason deals with Juniper's abusive husband once and for all.



There is little I can say about this Crosswind at this point that hasn't already been said. Suffice it to say that Gail Simone has turned a cliche sitcom premise on its head, exploring the fine details of just what it would be like for a man and a woman in the modern world to switch bodies without descending into cheap jokes about shaving and erections.

Don't worry, we do still get a few cheap jokes (it IS a Gail Simone story, after all) but the story also has a serious sense of depth to it. That same sense of depth is found in the detail-driven artwork of Cat Staggs, who proves a perfect partner to Simone's brand of dark lunacy. It will be a crime if this book doesn't get multiple Eisner Awards.

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10.

Crosswind #4 - A Review

Somehow, Chicago hitman Cason Bennett and Seattle housewife Juniper Blue have swapped souls. Both found themselves in unfamiliar surroundings with Cason having to throw together dinner for Juniper's abusive husband and his boss and Juniper putting her cleaning skills to the test covering up a crime scene. Unfortunately, things have become even more complicated, as one of Cason's associates - a rival assassin named Cruz - just learned that Cason was sleeping with his fiancee and is out for blood...





With every passing issue, Crosswind gets better and better. Cat Stagg's beautiful photo-realistic artwork gives the series the perfect neo-noir aesthetic. Gail Simone's script is full of the dark comedy and thrilling action her fans have come to love, while deftly avoiding the usual cliches that body-swapping stories engage in (i.e. a man having to learn how to use make-up). Indeed, the end of this issue features a fascinating interview between Simone and transgender writer/actor Charles Battersby regarding those cliches and how Crosswind aspired to move past them.

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10. A Must Read!

Adventures of Supergirl #8-13 - A Review

I hadn't reviewed the last few issues of Adventures of Supergirl because I wasn't quite sure how to go about it. Sterling Gates is a great writer but the story he was telling was ill-suited to the shorter format required of DC Comics' digital-first releases. Several issues featured little in the way of action and were largely devoted towards exposition. This made summation of individual comics difficult and they read far better in one sitting than they did in bimonthly installments.

That being said and having now read the whole of the final story arc, I am prepared to say this is easily the best Supergirl story told in any medium in years. The story - centering upon a villain called Facet - was thrilling and brilliantly tied-in to the earlier issues of the series in some surprising ways. Gates drew upon the full rich history of the Kryptonian culture and the DC Universe cosmos, further developing the setting while offering up some thrilling Easter Eggs for long-time fans.


This series was blessed with some great artists who utilized a variety of unique styles. I greatly enjoyed Cat Stagg work on Issue Ten, where he utilized a photo-realistic style that captured the look of the actors from the show. I also enjoyed Emma Vieceli's work on the final story arc, which I think looked even better than her recent work on Doctor Who. Hopefully this series will return along with Supergirl's second season but I think it would be better off as a monthly periodical rather than a weekly digital release.