Broken Frontier

Detective Isabel Cordova continues to get into more and more trouble because of the mysterious Matador, a perceived serial killer with impeccable timing.

It has been a very confusing time for Detective Cordova.  Seeing no other way to deal with her impending “trial” last issue for the fact that her gun was used in murdering 3 men; she slept with the District Attorney.  Of course, it worked.  However, as she was leaving the courthouse, the Matador appeared and drove her away before she could get in her car.  Her partner was not so lucky.  In an attempt to follow Cordova and the Matador, he jumped into her car and was blown to bits.  This issue starts off with her former partner’s funeral and from there Cordova’s day gets worse by the minute.  Soon she gets a call from the local drug trafficker, telling her he has some news.  If only the police would stay out of it.

I’m really enjoying the work Devin Grayson is doing on this series.  It was worrying at first to see the story of an apparent superhuman to be told through the eyes of a police officer, but she has avoided using that cliché storytelling element as a crutch.  In fact, Grayson seems intent on using a few stereotypes storytelling elements, and every single time makes it work.  She has put together an engaging and likable group of characters, from the main character (Cordova) to the strange and mysterious Matador.  Not only that, but she has moved the story around quite a bit, keeping it moving at an excellent pace and having a lot happen.

But I’d be lying if I said I bought the book initially for Devin Grayson’s writing.  Because Brain Stelfreeze was the reason for that.  Having thoroughly enjoyed his work on the recently released Domino mini from Marvel, I could not wait to get into his next project.  And he has not disappointed at all.  In fact, he’s been downright amazing.  The best description of Stelfreeze’s style would be that it is a combination of Tony Harris and Eduardo Risso.  There is a level of consistency in his work that is just refreshing to look at.  He nails every one of the characters, capturing every emotion asked of him.  But honestly, it’s his gifts as a storyteller that makes this book one to awe.  Stelfreeze moves you through the story at the perfect pace.  His action scenes are spectacular, and his sometimes simple but always effective panel design carefully guides you through everything.  A word must also be said of Lee Loughridge’s colors.  Following a similar color scheme to other Wildstorm Signature books, the book seems incredibly vibrant, a perfect compliment to its artwork and writing.

After four issues of a mini-series, it can be hard to convince people to pick up a book.  But Matador is one that is worth it.  Grayson and Stelfreeze carefully blend genres, and have produced a ¾ of a six issue miniseries, where something interesting and unexpected happens every issue.