Ruse #1 Review
Mark Waid returns to his CrossGen creation, Ruse, starring master sleuth Simon Archard and his intrepid partner, Emma Bishop. Is it everything I remembered from the old days? Let’s find out!
Ruse #1
Simon and Emma begin the issue investigating the death of an Archduke. Simon quickly deduces that the Archduke committed suicide by cyanide. Now, that doesn’t exactly give a reason why his body has been stabbed multiple times or why his head has been cut off, but that’s because the family’s valet tried to cover up the suicide to avoid shame on the family. This leads to a chase that lands the valet in cuffs. Not one to let sleeping dogs lie, Simon investigates further into the Archduke’s gambling debts. He and Emma visit a seedy place where people bet on attack dogs facing off against killer rats. Simon and Emma end up falling through a trap door where a couple bags of the killer rats landing in their path!
It’s so great to see Mark Waid’s name on the cover of a new issue of Ruse. Simon Archard’s pompous approach to the world… Emma’s quiet knowledge of her abilities and talents… It’s all there, except one thing – the location. This version of the series takes place in London, not on another planet representative of Victorian England. That doesn’t so much bother me, though. Much like last week’s Sigil, there’s a lot here that feels comfortable and homey. The setting is similar even if the exact location is not. Unlike Sigil, Ruse feels more right and fits into the world (Marvel OR CrossGen) so much more naturally.
The original series was drawn by Butch Guice and while his beautiful work is seen on the cover, it’s Mirco Pierfederici who gets the nod for the interior pencils. It’s not quite the same. While Pierfederici is talented, I do miss Guice’s work. This book’s art is something I think I may need to settle into for a little while longer before really getting used to. I don’t think it is entirely my longing for Butch Guice to be reunited with Mark Waid, but I think it’s the combination of the story’s genre and setting with Pierfederici’s style.
With an exciting cliffhanger and a very familiar feeling with Waid’s characters, this mini is shaping up to be a great one. I just need to get used to the different art style from what came before.
A COMIC BOOK BLOG RATING
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Waid’s knowledge of the characters and usual solid script combined with a classic cliffhanger makes for a great start to the mini series. | Though I technically like the art, there’s something I can’t quite put my finger on that’s made it hard to adjust from the old days. |
| Rating |
