[[“value”:”Primer: Clashing Colors #3 cover, via DC Comics.
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The second volume of Primer comes to an explosive close this issue, as our young heroine faces an alliance of soldier of fortune Strack, assassin Deathstroke – and Deathstroke’s teenage daughter Ravager, who posed as Ashley’s friend for the first two issues and then ruthlessly betrayed her. Ashley is still reeling from this as Deathstroke lowers the boom, capturing the Teen Titans leaving Primer alone to face him without her costume. Needless to say, it doesn’t go particularly well at first, and it seems she’s massively outgunned – until she gets a boost in the form of a mail-delivery of paint from her parents and her currently-estranged best friend Luke. It’s a nice way to show where Ashley’s true strength comes from – and it allows her to deliver a curb-stomping to Slade. Deathstroke acts a little too much like a cartoon supervillain here at points, but I suppose that’s the inspiration.
Despite the youthful tone of this book and Ashley’s tendency to get snarky and funny while fighting, this final issue packs some serious emotional punches. While Ravager’s face-turn is pretty much preordained and a little quick, her conversation with Ashely was really well-done. And the final battle, which finds Ashley pushed to her limit to try to prevent a massive disaster, had some real peril and some surprisingly emotional reactions. The Teen Titans are a fun addition, but they seem to lean a little too much into the cartoon versions and I would have liked to see a bit more time dedicated to the main cast. That’s because this is such a strong group of originals – and I was genuinely surprised by how much was left unresolved at the end of this. I’m hoping this means book three has already been greenlit, because I’ve been surprised by just how invested I’m getting in everyone here.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
“]] Ashley’s biggest test arrives as she faces off against Deathstroke and a treacherous friend – with the Teen Titans hanging in the balance. Read More