Manhunter #22
Manhunter #22
July 2006
$2.99
Released May 17th, 2006
Psychobabble Part Three: "Ghost in the Machine"
Writer: Marc Andreyko
Layouts: Javier Pina
Finishes: Fernando Blanco
Hate to break it to anyone who hasn't already heard, but Manhunter will be concluding with August's 25th issue. Sad day indeed, but there is hope. The solicitation reads "The solo adventures of Kate Spencer come to a stunning conclusion - but her new life as a dark hero has only just begun!" Speculation is that Kate will be joining either Birds of Prey or Checkmate, but there is hope among some that Marc will be writing an Infinity, Inc. book. I'm trying not to get too hopeful so as not to let myself get too disappointed if that doesn't happen, but that would rock.
And the truth is that it does look that way judging by the events that have been occuring in Manhunter. Cast members Todd "Obsidian" Bones and Director Bones were both a part of Infinity, Inc., and this issue also references Todd hanging out with his old friend Al "Atom-Smasher" Rothstein, another former member of Infinity, Inc. Has Marc subtly been building his own superhero team all this time? God, I hope!
"Ghost in the Machine" is the third and, in my opinion, weakest chapter yet of the Psychobabble storyline. That's not saying much, as a A- is still a terrific grade. Manhunter was definitely better than the majority of the books I got this week. To be honest I'm not really sure why this issue didn't click with me as much as it usually does, but it just didn't. Still even a weaker edition of Manhunter is better than a strong edition of many other titles.
This issue sees Kate back in costume as she fights the missing reporter Ted Shoemaker, for some unknown reason has become the Flash's foe Kilg%re. On top of that many members of the cast get their own interesting scenes. We learn that Kate and Damon now have their own practice together, Ramsey surprises himself by easily knocking out a much bigger kid, we learn that Mark has been having some sort of fits, and Chase meets the new villain Sweeney Todd! For those that don't know (and until I did a quick search on Wikipedia I was one of those not in the know), Sweeney Todd was (possibly) a murderous barber in the mid-19th century. The reason I say "possibly" is because Sweeney Todd may or may not have existed.
Those aren't the only interesting tidbits revealed this issue. There's also a bizarre scene in which Kate finds herself dressed like Wonder Woman in a Golden Age-esque moment. On top of that Dr. Mid-Nite tests Kate's blood. Is Kate related to the Golden Age Atom? We don't know yet, but we do know that Kate is related to two people in the JSA computer's databanks. Seeing as Phantom Lady is on the cover of next issue, could she be Kate's grandmother? Only time (or next issue) will tell!
While I didn't care for it at first, I have since become a fan Pina's work. Each issue had been better and better, and this issue is by far the best! While Kate looks pretty much the same, Damon is much more gorgeous than I've ever seen him. Mark also looks good during his "fit". Kate looks wonderful, and I really like Pina's work on Dr. Mid-Nite. Kilg%re and Sweeney also look bad@$$. Pina just keeps getting better and better.
Grade: A-
A few hours earlier Damon tells Kate that Todd's father still refers to him as Todd's "good friend." When Kate mentions that she wishes she had a "good friend" like Damon, Damon suggests Todd's friend Al, who is visiting. Kate points out that depending on the results of her blood test, she could possibly be related to Al.
When a bouqet of flowers arrives Kate automatically assumes they're from Todd, but the receptionist informs her that they're for her. Kate starts to read the card when she suddenly finds herself tied up and dressed like Wonder Woman in a crowded arena. Dr. Psycho (calling himself Emperor Psychoius Caesar) demands Kate submit to him and reminds her that he can read minds. Kate suddenly snaps out of the vision as Damon and the receptionist look worried. Kate throws the flowers out and leaves the room. Damon tries to find the card but discovers Kate took it with her.
At school Ramsey sees a bully harassing two kids. When Ramsey tells the bully to leave them alone, he gets shoved down for his efforts. Ramsey then gets up and, surprising both himself and the kids watching, sends the bully flying backwards with a punch.
Cameron wakes up to hear Dylan singing in the shower and realizes she's late. She begins to sneak out but walks into Mark. In his mind Mark is being attacked by Manhunters who have deemed him worthy of "joining the cause." When Mark begins to have a fit Cameron tries to snap him out of it. Dylan comes out of the shower and slaps Mark, waking him up. Seeing Cameron standing next to a towel-clad Dylan, Mark realizes they're a couple.
Dr. Mid-Nite analyzes Kate's blood and discovers that Kate's blood matches two people in the JSA databanks.
Manhunter tells Dylan about her vision and lets him know that she knows he's with Cameron. Suddenly Dylan's equipment begins to act weird and explodes. Kate finds herself under attack by the hydra.
Cameron arrives at a murder scene the police believe is the work of a metahuman. The coroner shows Cameron the wound, which seems to have been done with some sort of energized razor.
When the hydra begins to take on human form, Dylan recognizes it.
As Cameron is leaving the crime scene her phone rings. It's someone named Terry. Cameron comments on how her husband cheated on her when someone behind her calls her a harlot. Cameron pulls out her gun, only for it to wind up sliced in half. A crazy looking man holding a flaming knife tells her that nobody can escape the divine wrath of Sweeney Todd.
A roboticized Ted Shoemaker calls himself Kilg%re. Manhunter uses her staff to blast the pipes in the ceiling, causing water to poor over Kilg%re. This causes Kilg%re to forcibly remove itself from Ted. Kilg%re tries to bind itself to Dylan, but Kate manages to dose it with even more water, causing it to power down.
