Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Yanick Paquette; Serge Lapointe; Alex Sinclair; & Phil Balsman
Cover Art by Yanick Paquette & Serge LaPointe
SUMMARY:
Entitled “Who Killed Seven Soldiers?,” this issue was released by DC Comics for February 2006. It’s the second installment of the Bulleteer’s solo four-part mini series.
Alix “Bulleteer” Harrower attends a grim FBI intel session re: the recent massacre of Golden Age Vigilante Greg Saunders’ motley band of Seven Soldier recruits by an interdimensional spider. The homicide of Lucas “The Spider” Dalt is also reviewed. Alix realizes that, had she not backed out of Saunders’ invitation at the last minute, she, too, would have been among the grisly casualties.
She accompanies an ailing FBI Special Agent Helligan (who was recently bitten by a vampire) into a state prison to interrogate the decrepit Ramon “The Hand” Solomano about his decades-old feud with Saunders. More significantly, what does Solomano know of his so-called ‘Nebula-Man’ that once fought the original Seven Soldiers. Before departing for a private security gig, Alix helps Helligan resolve an urgent personal matter.
Note: While this issue ties into Seven Soldiers Special # 0 (plus a few others in the saga), another tie-in dates back to The Hand’s appearance in the original Justice League of America # 100-102. As a heads-up, these three issues are reprinted in the Crisis on Multiple Earths, Vol. 3 trade paperback as a JLA/JSA/Seven Soldiers cross-over.
REVIEW:
Maneuvering readers towards some pertinent DC Comics back issues, writer Grant Morrison coherently explores this saga’s backstory within Alix’s episodic tale. Facially resembling Nicole Kidman, Alix makes an intriguing rookie heroine, despite only a brief glimpse of her actual super-powers. In that sense, Morrison’s wonky plotting makes her solo exploits a surprisingly good read.
A caveat is whether or not Helligan’s errand is really more a page-filler, rather than giving Alix something more meaningful to do. Of more significance, the art squad’s visuals hold up remarkably well, as it’s a high-caliber effort (including the cover image). Ultimately, Bulleteer # 2 won’t disappoint patient adult fans who are busy tackling Morrison’s ambitious Seven Soldiers project, one issue at a time.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The last page is a Seven Soldiers project checklist. Continuing the Soldiers’ saga of separate four-part mini-series are thumbnail cover reveals for Frankenstein # 2; Mr. Miracle # 3; and Bulleteer # 3.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
