White Tiger: A Hero’s Compulsion

The Comicologist — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:31:03 +0000

White Tiger: A Hero's Compulsion was written by Tamora Pierce and Timothy Liebe, and began it's 6 issue mini-series in 2006, but has since been released in trade paper back form, White Tiger #1-6.

The White Tiger mini-series follows the emergence of the White Tiger, Angela Del Toro. Fans of the Daredevil series would know that Del Toro first appeared in a number of issues of Daredevil, as an FBI agent drawn into the investigation of the Daredevil's true identity, as well as the investigation into the death of her uncle Hector, the previous White Tiger. In Daredevil, Del Toro quit the FBI when she realised the good she could do with her new found power, inherited via her uncle's Jade Tiger amulets, eventually taking on the White Tiger moniker.

White Tiger: A Hero's Compulsion begins with Daredevil Matt Murdock in prison, leaving Del Toro seemingly on her own to figure out what to do with her new found power and responsibility. Del Toro, with the help of Black Widow, Luke Cage, Spider-Man and Iron Fist (who is doubling as Daredevil while Matt Murdock is in prison), eases herself into the role of White Tiger. While starting to clean up her neighbourhood, Del Toro finds herself investigating the shady activities of an organisation called Chaneyi.

In many respects White Tiger: A Hero's Compulsion is a standard superhero tale. An FBI agent, inherits powers that improve her ability to fight crime. In that regard, there is nothing revolutionary or ground breaking going on, yet still, it's an enjoyable enough story. The story concluded as most comic arcs do, leaving the door wide open for a followup. It's a bit of a shame that Marvel didn't decide to take White Tiger further, but I guess they too didn't see enough to set the title apart from a host of other comics hitting the stands at the time.

Don't hold your breath for any Del Toro/White Tiger follow up either, as, from what I've read, White Tiger is killed by Lady Bullseye in a relatively recent issue of Daredevil.

Overall, I'd give White Tiger: A Hero's Compulsion 6 out of 10

Marvel White Tiger #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 Comic NM Rare

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White Tiger #1-6 Set/Phil Briones/Babe/Marvel Comics

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WHITE TIGER #1-6 Complete Set Series by Marvel Comics

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Human Fly vol 1 #8 1978 Marvel Comics White Tiger

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Spectacular Spider-Man 9 White Tiger VF NM Marvel Comic

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White Tiger #1 Marvel Comics 2007 NM David Mack Cover

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WHITE TIGER: HEROES COMPULSION TPB by Marvel Comics NEW

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White Tiger #1 - Marvel Comics - (2007) VF/NM

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Marvel Comics WHITE TIGER: A HERO'S COMPULSION TP

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WHITE TIGER Graphic Novel Marvel Comics 1 2 3 4 5 6 TP

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White Tiger: A Hero's Compulsion TPB Marvel

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WHITE TIGER 1-6 NM FULL SET MARVEL COMICS

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WHITE TIGER Hector Ayala MAV-210 EA Foil Marvel VS

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Marvel Comics White Tiger Set

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White Tiger #3 Marvel Comics 2007 NM-

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WHITE TIGER 1 (of 6) Marvel Comics Daredevil

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WHITE TIGER 4 Marvel Comics Limited Series

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White Tiger, Hector Ayala Foil Marvel Card Game TCG CCG

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IRON FIST 8 Golden Tigers BYRNE Marvel 1976 White VF/NM

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WHITE TIGER 3 Marvel Comics Limited Series

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Bullseye: Greatest Hits

The Comicologist — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:18:36 +0000

Apparently I'm a sucker for an "untold origin story", because when I saw Bullseye: Greatest Hits for $2.99 from the Things From Another World scratch and dent sale, I couldn't pass it up.

The trade paper back, Bullseye: Greatest Hits, collects the five issue mini-series, with the story itself attempting to reveal the origins of the man that became the ultimate thorn in Daredevil's side. The mini-series ran from November 2004 through until March 2005 and was written by Daniel Way and illustrated by Steve Dillon, the same team behind Wolverine Origins.

Bullseye: Greatest Hits opens with Bullseye being held in a top secret underground government facility, where he is being interrogated by two special agents, who are attempting to learn the whereabout of some nuclear weapons that Bullseye was responsible for stealing. This interrogation is used as the plot device through which to reveal snap shots of Bullseye's origins.

Bullseye: Greatest Hits #3 CGC 9.8

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Bullseye reveals that when he was a child he displayed the uncanny knack of being able to hit any target with any sort of projectile, as seen when he kills a bird with a yo-yo. When his family is killed, following a bungled attempt by Bullseye's older brother to murder their abusive father, young Bullseye is put into foster care. He takes up Baseball, but his boredom for the game leads him to kill his opponent, as is depicted on the Mike Deodato drawn cover of issue 2.

This is when Bullseye first gains the attention of the US government, and is subsequently recruited then sent out into the field. It doesn't take Bullseye long before he goes rouge. Following his first battle with the Punisher, Bullseye heads back to the US, where we are treated to various glimpses of his first encounter with Daredevil and the King Pin as well as his murder of Elektra.

All the while, the two agents are attempting to located the nuclear weapons, it becomes clearer that Bullseye is just toying with them. Separating fact from fiction becomes more and more challenging. As the clock ticks down, the only one in control is Bullseye.

One gripe I have with this series is the artwork. Apparently all men have the same face in Steve Dillon's world. The eyes and nose of Dillon dudes really bug me. I can get past it. Looking at the Mike Deodato covers that were included in the trade paper back, I kept wondering if I would have enjoyed this more had Deodato had done the interiors rather than Dillon.

Another issue I have is the conclusion. Daniel Way seems to have left things intentionally ambiguous, which can be ok, except when your talking about an origin story. The whole 'was Bullseye telling the truth' thing is borderline '... and it was all only a dream'. If you've read this one, I'm sure you know what I mean.

What did I learn?

Apparently it's possible to kill a man with his own tooth. That's good to know, in case it ever comes up at a trivia night.

Daniel Way does enough with the story to keep the intrigue levels up, and if like me, you're always interested in seeing where a character has come from, then you'll more than likely get a buzz out of this.

I'd give this series 6.5 out of 10. Not brilliant by any stretch of the imagination, but good enough to keep you interested.