This surprising new series from writer Marc Guggenheim and artist Justin Greenwood continues to impress as it started off strong and gets better every issue. I don’t know how Guggenheim manages to keep upping the stakes, but that’s just what he does.

Issue #3 ended with Captain Criterion interrupting Michelle’s bloody rampage of revenge. Admittedly, I’m still not completely clear on exactly what her powers are, but she’s clearly outclassed by this Superman-level hero. Nevertheless, through some clever pre-planning, she manages to disable him and escape, although not without cost. But now she knows that the rest of her team, The Praetorians (first introduced in issue #2) will be coming after her.

And that’s the majority of the rest of this issue, Michelle vs the other superheroes. She lays in wait with a set of traps as one by one the heroes come after her, making this probably the most action-packed issue of the series, thus far, which gives Justin Greenwood a chance to show off his talent. By the time it’s over, Michelle’s life is changed for good, but her mission isn’t finished yet.

This is as good a superhero story as anything you’d read from DC or Marvel. Even though most of the Praetorians are obvious analogs of established heroes, Guggenheim manages to make them feel unique. I also like the brief encounter we get with some civilians which makes Michelle briefly question her methods, it helps reminds us that she’s not just some stereotypical angry widow that’s out for revenge, she’s a victim who feels like the system, the very system which she’d spent her life proudly defending, has let her down and that’s why she has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. This is someone any reader can sympathize with. But how far can she go and still be considered a hero? That’s the question that is most responsible for keeping me buying this series, as I’m very curious to see the answer.

Chacebook rating: FIVE STARS

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