Lower Decks

Although this column is called Comics I Like, I haven’t written all that much about the comics I actually like (or don’t, as the case may be), preferring instead to discuss general topics like my reading habits, price increases and that sort of thing. Today, however, I’m going to write about an actual comic book. A six-issue miniseries, in fact. And that miniseries is … DC’s The Huntress: Year One.

Ooh. Aah.

I’m going to be honest: I only bought the first issue of The Huntress: Year One because it was the first issue. When it was released in May of 2008 I was in the beginning phase of expanding my collecting horizons. Standing in front of the stacks at my favorite local comic shop I scanned the rows for any first issues and bought a few. The Huntress: Year One just happened to be among them.

Prior to reading this first issue my only exposure to the character of Huntress came from the first episode of The WB’s Birds of Prey TV show. It was the only episode I watched. I can’t say with any certainty that the version of the character depicted in the TV show reflected that character in the comics and, to be honest, I remember next to nothing about that one episode (and even less now). So this miniseries was my introduction to the character.

I can’t remember the details of the story and I’d rather not reread the miniseries to refresh my memory. The story isn’t important, in a sense. The woman who would become the Huntress, Helena Bertinelli, was orphaned at an early age when her family was murdered by the Italian mafia. She grows up and eventually starts getting her revenge on those who killed her family.

There’s a group of powerful men involved, of course, and while hunting them down Helena travels to Gotham and tangles with Batman. Actually, she manages to insert herself into Bruce Wayne’s attempt to take down the very same people she’s after. Secret identities and all that. There’s also a romance angle that runs through the six issues.

Frankly, what I remember most vividly about the miniseries is the artwork. It was really purple. It wasn’t bad just really, really purple. Perhaps purple has always been connected with the Huntress and The Huntress: Year One just kept the trend going. There was quite a lot of violence in the issues. The Huntress is a violent person, after all. But I don’t recall it being excessively violent.

Maybe trying to review a miniseries close to a year after reading the first issue isn’t a good idea. Ultimately, what’s most important to me about a comic book is whether or not I enjoyed it while reading. I certainly enjoyed The Huntress: Year One. I even made a special trip to a different comic book shop after one issue was delayed. It came out twice a month, I believe, but it sure felt like longer.

Whether or not it fit into established canon/continuity/back story is a question for others to answer. To me, it was an enjoyable six issues. And that was enough.