Manhunter #8 is the third part of the Trial By Fire arc that ties in directly Identity Crisis and the upcoming Villains United mini-series. The villain Shadow Thief is on trial for the murder of Firestorm with Manhunter, Kate Spencer, the prosecutor. However it seems the "Secret Society of Super-Villains" wants both dead since in the last issue they bombed Kate’s car and have hired the assassin Cheshire to kill Shadow Thief. Since they're afraid he might spill some very valuable information about his associates.
Opening the book, the first problem I have is with the guest artist Javier Pina. His style is similar to regular artist Jesus Saiz but lacks the detail that Saiz applies in his work. There are a couple panels early on with Manhunter dropping Shadow Thief to the authorities but the cops appear blocky and not defined. This is just a minor criticism for the most part. Javier Pina does do a good job on a lot here.
The fight between Cheshire and Manhunter has a couple brutal moments. The scene where she rips out Cheshire’s fingernails is intense. Kate's really starting to come in on her own as she starts taking on more and more dangerous assassins. One of the criticisms online I've read is that Kate Spencer isn't easy to relate to. Maybe not but her faults definitely make her human and a character you can cheer for. I also want to point out the relationship between her and her tech man Dylan as being a highlight. Since Dylan’s arrival in the series, the book has had some humor to it. Something the title was lacking in its first few issues.
Other strong moments include Kate Spencer having Firestorm’s parents testify at the trial. This was a perfect scene to showcase the sacrifices heroes make and the families that suffer when they die. This was also Javier Pina’s best scenes showing the expressions on the families faces, the worry of Shadow Thief’s and his lawyer, and the jurors’ reaction. There are two developing subplots that look to lay the ground work for future issues, one involving someone murdering former Manhunters and the second on a reporter trying to dig up dirt on an explosion that injured Kate’s son way back in issue 2. These subplots look to be developing into some very important stories that will greatly affect the title.
This book is a great read and continues to get better with every issue. I suggest picking it up or the title will eventually succumb to cancellation.
