Task Force X # 1 – 5 by Matt Hrubey at JLU2001
(http://www.carnaj.com/JLU2001/taskforcex/tfxtitle.htm)
Wonder Woman # 23 – 25 by Matt Hrubey at JLU2001
(http://www.carnaj.com/JLU2001/wonderwoman/wwtitle.htm)
(including crossover ‘Relocation’)
Every now and then someone of the Heroes lists posts a fanfic pop-quiz – ‘Who writes the best female characters?’, ‘Who writes the best fight scenes?’, etc. Well, next time one of those rolls around asking ‘Who writes the best dialogue?’, I know who my vote will be going to. It’s always terrific to stumble across another good writer in the pack and, after belatedly checking out some of his work, I’m delighted to say Matt deserves a whole lot of praise, not least for the way he can bring his characters to life with distinctive speech.
Not being a DC reader outside of Batman or Vertigo I’ll admit some of the story in these issues passed me by. I know Amanda Waller and Captain Atom from Giffen and DeMatteis’ Justice League, and of course I know who Wonder Woman is even though I don’t think I’ve read more than three or four issues of her title in my life, but the other main players in Task Force X – Cheshire, Doctor Polaris, Sergeant Steel, STRIPE, Donna Troy and Wonder Girl – are completely new to me. Regrettably Matt chooses to steer clear of much in the way of introduction, which may or may not be a flaw depending on your point of view. A writer doesn’t want to alienate a reader with too much exposition, but on the other hand – especially in the case of putting together a new series – I’d say that a stab at some back history, even if it’s just a couple of paragraphs per character, would make a world of difference.
That said, Matt does the next best thing in ensuring that all the characters remain distinctive, and that’s where the dialogue plays a huge part. The writing here is extremely solid; there are no spelling or grammatical errors to pull the reader out of the narrative, the pacing is strong, and the action is clearly described. However, the aspect that makes everything flow is that dialogue, not just what the characters say but the way they say it, with just the right sprinkling of inflections and mannerisms and body language to allow you to hear the characters’ voices in your head. Pitch perfect, not a dud voice among them, and that takes some doing.
I’ll be honest and say I wasn’t convinced regarding the central crossover story, Relocation, wherein Wonder Woman – as the newly crowned Queen of the Amazons – decides that her homeland Themyscira has remained apart from man’s world for too long and attempts to force through its acceptance into the United Nations, causing the island to physically invade US territory in the process. The idea that Diana would be so naïve with regard to international politics, or that the US President would immediately take such drastic measures as invading the island to claim it (which happens more or less instantly) considering Wonder Woman’s hero status, well… it don’t ring true with me, but again, maybe this is a lack of understanding of DC-ness on my part. I also wasn’t sold on Superman saving the day and leaving Diana looking a bit limp, considering that she also ultimately struggles to hold her own against Captain Atom.
For me, however, writing style can often be more important than the logistics of a story and in this case Matt can’t be faulted. My favourite character under his pen is, by far, Cheshire – again, I know nothing about her and really could have used some clarification as to her powers and motivation early on, but as the series progresses so her personality really comes to the fore. I look forward to a future rematch between her and Wonder Woman, and I’ll definitely keep checking back on these two titles.
Rating (each out of 5): Writing Technique 5 / Story 2 / Characters 3 / Enjoyment 3. Overall: 13/20.