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Oct 21, 2010 DC Comics By Jeremy Nisen

The main character of The Green Woman, an original graphic novel published by DC/Vertigo, has evidently been around for a while in scribe Peter Straub’s novels. That may have been half the problem with this book; the narration awkwardly flips between not enough information and too much spoon-feeding. The story jumps around in time quite a bit as well, opening the door to confusion.

The other half of the problem is the painted art by John Bolton, which is pretty close to photorealism, yet each near-real character looks different from his or her last depiction only panels before. It’s disconcerting, and not in the way that a story about cop versus serial killer should be. Bolton is a wonderful artist, and each image on its own is a near masterpiece. However, when it comes to comics, the storytelling and consistency are the top priority. With the time shifts and art shifts, The Green Woman is disjointed.

There are flashes of enjoyment. The psycho-drama of a near undefeatable murderer, a true monster among men, and the peek into his psyche are compelling at times. His origin in Vietnam is chilling and interesting. The down-on-his-luck cop, constantly moaning about being named after an old movie figure, is tiresome.

While fans of Straub’s source materials will surely come at this from a different angle, there is no reason to shell out precious money—or even time—if you come into The Green Woman completely green. (www.dccomics.com/vertigo)

Author rating: 3/10