Neena’s luck isn’t anywhere in to be found with her unknown assailants seemingly hell-bent on destroying everything she cares about…
DOMINO #3
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: David Baldeon
Color Artists: Jesus Aburtov
Cover Artist: Greg Land
Publisher: Marvel Comics
?WARNING: This review contains major spoilers!!?
What You Need To Know:
Things have gone from bad to worse for Domino as she and her team deal with being ambushed on a job by the mysterious old man and the deadly Topaz who seem dead set on destroying Neena and everything she cares about. We rejoin Neena in the aftermath of an explosion that appears to have killed her team of Outlaw, Diamondback as well as mutant Adelbert and Hulk Amadeus Cho!
What You’ll Find Out:
Lying amongst the debris from the explosion Neena believes has killed her friends, half concussed and between consciousness and unconsciousness Neena’s mind drifts back to a time when as a child she was an experiment in the Weapon H program and her experience of another loss of the other children who didn’t survive the program like she did.. We get to see how she was treated as a human guinea pig at the hands of those who experimented on her in this instance the cruel Dr. Rossini and his cat allergy ridden Dr. Corando. It is really unpleasant (Neena naming a white cat Christmas but not knowing what Christmas is, is heartbreaking). Domino returns to consciousness and is immediately filled with rage at the death of her team and friends and that anger is directed immediately at one person … Topaz.
Neena goes after her and the fight is brutal and vicious with Neena beating her opponent till she starts to bleed all the while asking why Topaz is doing this but ultimately when Topaz uses her ability to over-amplify Domino’s ability throwing her into agony Domino falls with Topaz threatening to take more things Domino cares about from her including Domino’s brother!! Defeated Domino tells Topaz to end it but Topaz refuses only promising to visit more misery as she and the old man teleport away with a BOMPF leaving a defeated and grief-filled Neena Thurman alone…
Defeated and in grief, all seems lost for Neena until a voice causes her to turn and find her very wet but very much alive friends and companions and we enjoy a soft moment. Later as the sun is rising Neena questions Cho as to how they survived and Cho reveals that Diamondback warned them just before the boat blew (how did she know?) allowing them to escape in the nick of time and Neena recalls how they first met and formed The Posse with Outlaw and that she refuses to believe Rachel has anything to do with the boat exploding. The conversation turns to the subject of what Domino can do about what Topaz does to her ability and Cho Makes the suggestion that perhaps Neena can train to have a more conscious control of her power to resist Topaz… And that the person to help her is in Hong Kong.
Later at the apartment, Neena has to lie to her two friends as she packs to leave for the trip and it upsets her and upsets Inez and Rachel who knows she is lying but it isn’t vocalized as a guilt-ridden Neena gets on a plane and heads to her destination she orders a drink a hopes sleep will bring her some peace which of course it does not as we are taken back once again to Neena’s time in the program as the two doctors from before try to coax her to use her powers by threatening the cat they gave her previously only to have Neena’s luck turn on them ( It’s very satisfying to see one of the Dr’s get his comeuppance with a sneeze…) and it’s revealed that Dominos’s tell tale mark on her face is a brand that usually goes on subjects backs and is courtesy of the cruel Dr. Rossini who has her branded on the face instead as cruel revenge for her lack of cooperation.
Back to the present and a grumpy jet lagged Domino hikes toward her destination and the individual she is seeking on Lantau Island… however, as she comes upon a small cabin she is confronted by several individuals who are also waiting on the “The Master” and who do not take too kindly to Neena wanting to skip the queue to see “The Master” and well it isn’t much of a fight as Domino hands these fairly inept individuals a beating which seems to cheer her up. Her fun is interrupted when the occupant of the cabin and subject of Neena’s trip interrupts the beat down and there is a fun whole page of Neena being completely awkward, inappropriate (Gail Simone gives us gold like those naked She-Hulk pics) and even flirtatious as Domino comes to face with the legendary Master of Kung FU himself Shang-Chi!!
What Just Happened:
This is, in my opinion, the best book so far in the series. Gail Simone writes the crap out of this book and the emotional range in this issue that she brings to Domino is exceptional as she continues to flesh out the character by taking her (and us) on an emotional rollercoaster covering everything from grief, anger, sadness, loss, to joy and even a touch of lust (last two pages are hilarious) . The story is moving along at a steady pace and it’s fantastic to be getting a look into Neena’s deep dark past. David Baldeon’s line work continues to be fantastic and his ability to convey movement in such a dynamic way ( the fight scenes are a superb example) are a joy to look at but his facial expressions in less dynamic panels are also fantastically expressive and when combined with Aburtov’s colors make it one of the best looking comics I am reading at the moment. The use of greyscale for the flashbacks is an excellent touch specifically in conveying the cold unfeeling environment of Neena’s childhood as a human guinea pig.
The issue teetered on the brink of being just a little too serious but is rescued by Simone’s ability to inject some well-placed humor further along in the book to balance the more serious side of the story.
Pros:
Great emotion driven writing giving us the full emotional range to the main character combined with fantastic art make it an easy and fun read and everything a comic should be!
Cons:
It’s hard not to sound like a raging fanboy when talking about this book but I cannot help it it’s just that good!
Rating: 10/10
Final Thought:
Domino continues to be the fun ride I hoped it would be in every respect. As a fan of the character, it fills me with joy to watch a great writer and superb artistic team add to Domino’s history in the best way possible!!
Domino #4 On Sale July 11, 2018!
