Youngblood #9 Review

Bloodline

Written by: Chad Bowers
Art by: Jim Towe
Colors: Juan Manuel Rodríguez
Letters: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Image
Release Date: 14 February
Reviewed by: Andrew McAvoy

This issue continues the storyline of this arc as we see how everything is going in Youngblood’s Tokyo HQ. It starts with a poisoned dart...don't say you weren't warned!

Yep, we are one page in and Dolante is hit with a poisoned dart just as he declines a call from Petra. Then, as he hits the deck the action cuts straight to a jovial discussion back at Tokyo HQ over the latest in Superhero costume designs. This is what I like about this book; it makes room for the "X-men playing baseball" moments by allowing the characters to have a little bit of banter behind the scenes. That soon ends as we cut back to Dolante who we learn is being held captive by old adversary Bloodstream.

The rest of this issue is pretty much a paint-by-numbers affair in which all the characters are systematically taken down by the enemy, only for Dolante to free them because the software used to attack them hadn't been updated in a few years. Go figure! The writing is efficient and the art is of the consistent high standard we've come to expect. It is lacking any real sense of peril, and even though enjoyable, the storyline (and its resolution) this issue was very simplistic.

Bits and pieces

There is a little bit of drift settling into this series. After a tight first arc the story-line has floated pleasantly along, and this issue doesn't really do anything to really kick things into a higher gear. It is a pretty average issue, and the art is good, but there is a need to get a few meaty plot strands functioning in this title if it is to avoid the fate of previous Youngblood series. A decent enough issue, but lacking a degree of drive.

6.4/10