RUSE #14

By: Arnold T. Blumberg
Review Date: Thursday, January 09, 2003

All this week, we're taking a look at some select CrossGen titles.

On a planet with a striking similarity to Victorian England - why oh why isn't the series just set in Earth's past then? (Grumble #1) - two intrepid investigators match wits with the cream of the villainous crop in an endless parade of Holmesian conundrums sure to satisfy comic book readers who yearn for a dash of Conan Doyle. The series debuted with living legend Mark Waid at the helm, and although it jumped the rails just a bit with the arrival of new scriptwriter Scott Beatty, it retains a certain moody charm.

Simon Archard, the Holmes stand-in, is a taciturn fellow with a lump of coal for a heart, but that hasn't stopped his sidekick, the lovely Emma Bishop (and possessor of one of CrossGen's ubiquitous sigils), from doing everything she can to awaken the soul of this scientific automaton of a man. Now, however, she may be thinking twice about her desire to find his inner child. It seems she's buried alive while Simon is off posing as Obed Joy, a greasy ex-con with a drinking problem. And why, you might ask? Well, it's all in the service of smoking out the pirates behind a series of shipwreckings. Unfortunately, when Emma thinks she's been reunited with Simon, she finds soon enough that she's in the clutches of the real Obed Joy. Aren't evil doppelgangers a bitch?

The artwork and coloring here is particularly dark and adds to the funereal tone of this issue, which also provides a wrap-up to the story and adds another layer to the ongoing saga. Miranda Cross, the Baroness who serves as this series' Big Bad Villainess with a desire to do serious damage to our hero and his faithful assistant (or is that the other way 'round?), is mentioned before this story concludes. It seems her reach extends to all sorts of nefarious corners of England - excuse me, Partington...or is that the fake version of London here, I can't recall. Oh, just call it London, for God's sake (Grumble #2)!