Ruse #2If there’s anything Victorian-era mysteries have ever taught me it’s that no mystery is all that simple. You always need compounding mysteries. While reading Ruse #2, it was clear to me that Mark Waid read and watched the same mysteries I did.
When we last left Simon and Emma, they were in a grungy, rat-infested tunnel that was meant to be their final resting place. Simon is able to find a slightly better by comparison escape route – the sewer system. With reckless abandon, he and Emma dive in and things seem to be going well with one exception… Simon can’t swim. They do get to safety though and Simon shows Emma a ring he was able to swipe off the guy who tried to kill them. It’s got a rising sun on it and it immediately leads Emma to believe that it’s a symbol for Simon’s former partner turned enemy turned dead, Malcolm Lightbourne. One of Simon’s agents, an actress named Madeline, is found dead from mysterious causes. He calls all his agents together to be kept safe in his headquarters. It appears Madeline’s killer is the same person that sent him x’d out pictures of Emma. Simon meets up with one of Queen Victoria’s sons, Albert, to find out why so many rich people are stooping to gambling and hanging out in seedy joints. He obtains an invitation that turns out to be a bare knuckles boxing match. Simon is seen signing up, but to Emma’s horror, this place features female boxing and the girl in the ring against Emma doesn’t look too friendly!
If there’s anything Mark Waid is doing with this Ruse mini it’s giving us a really fun mystery. Every page drips with humor and excitement. Simon’s cool, often cold, way he traipses through life with his smug point of view drives Emma insane, but these two are meant to be with each other. I don’t mean that in a romantic way either. These two are platonic soul mates. It’s their differences that make them the perfect duo. There’s no doubt that Simon is a great man with a brilliant mind, but when some is so aloof, it’s a damn good thing that Emma is there to pick up what he missed.
The real joy of Ruse is exactly that – the characters. Even minor characters are cute or endearing or fun to watch. Adeline is a cute little girl with a really bad lisp, but for all the cute, innocent, and tiny she is, she’s got a really useful power that is of great need of someone as intelligent as Simon. Not to leave the subject, but speaking of Adeline, it was awesome to see Achard’s Agents assembled again. Something else that caught my eye, and it’s so small that it’s funny how often I get caught up on these sorts of things… When Madeline’s sister came to get Simon to investigate the murder, we have a panel of the sister looking down (partly in sorrow, and partly because of what’s on the ground) and sees a doormat reading “STAND HERE”. The next panel consists of a pair of timid feet standing on the doormat to activate Simon’s video peephole. I’m not sure why it caught my eye, or how I got hung up on it, but it’s a very realistic series of panels. It’s also someone who has no idea the brilliance of Simon or the wonders of his headquarters. More than anything, it’s a sign of how truly steeped and intricate the series is.
Without a doubt, Ruse is every bit what I hoped to see when I saw it return. It’s got all the right things for people who want to read something fun and interesting.
A COMIC BOOK BLOG RATINGProsConsBrilliantly intricate and a lot of fun to read. The characters are really interesting and each have their own personalities that make even some of the smaller characters shine.The art is still a little hit and miss with me. Rating90% You might also like...
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Crossgen Comics: Geek LifeBy BlogsdnaTagged with: Crossgen Comics Mark Waid RuseLeave a ReplyClick here to cancel replyYour name (Required)
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This post was added on 27 Apr 2011, 21:01 by Geoff Arbuckle who has contributed 388 posts to this blog.
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