The First #24
writer: Barbara Kesel
artists: Andrea Di Vito and Brad Vancata

The reunification of House Dexter and House Sinister is one of the fundamental plotlines in The First, and this month the two Houses and their philosophies take center stage. Framed as a meeting between Wyture and Enson, the story actually tells the history of Persha and Seahn. Either of them may be the one that will bring Dexter and Sinister back together.

In spite of some problems, this is the best that The First has been for a while. It's also the final issue for artist Andrea Di Vito, which may prove to be a solution for some of the book's problems. The overuse of splash pages has been a troubling trend in many CrossGen series, along with slow pacing. Both of these flaws are present in this issue, but it's still worth checking out.

Orium finally reasserts himself at the end, and next issue promises to be even better.

Rating:

Mystic #29
writer: Tony Bedard
artists: Fabrizio Fiorentino and Matt Ryan

Giselle visits the Tantric guild, squaring off against the beautiful Master Vashua. By doing this, Giselle hopes to learn the Tantric philosophy and win back the approval of guild spirit Herotus.

She must deal with two different but possibly related threats: someone has sent a succubus to frame Giselle for murder, and some of the guild spirits, led by Magus, plot to trade Giselle's soul for their freedom.

Tony Bedard is doing an excellent job of turning this series around. He has struck a perfect balance between single-issue stories and more long term developments. In the process, Giselle is becoming a much more interesting character, learning from her mistakes. And while her visits to the different guilds could get repetitive, so far each visit seems unique.

Rating:

Negation: Lawbringer
writer: Tony Bedard
artist: Rudy Nebres

The Lawbringers are the main servants of Charon, the ruler of the Negation universe. In spite of the title, this issue is actually about Charon and his origins. The tale is told from the perspective of Lawbringer Qztr and does show where he came from, but that revelation is secondary to Charon's story.

The audience for this issue has to be CrossGen fans. The events shown have an almost mythical quality to them, and the casual reader might not be overly excited by them. When this is read with the backstory of the CrossGen universe in mind, particularly Negation and Crux, it takes on an added significance.

Some fundamental questions about the Negation are answered, but just as many new questions are raised. One new character, Appolyon, is sure to play a big role in future stories.

Rating:

Way of the Rat #6
writer: Chuck Dixon
artists Jeff Johnson and Tom Ryder

Boon has his showdown with Bhuto Khan. At first, Boon thinks they are an even match because he wears the Ring of Staffs while Khan wears the Ring of Swords. Both of them are masters of their weapons. But there are other factors that Boon was not considering, including the much greater strength and size of Bhuto Khan.

The battle doesn't go as expected. Even though Bhuto Khan is a barbarian, he emerges as a man of honor and intelligence. This is in stark contrast to Judge X'Ain who shows himself once again to be deceitful and treacherous.

This is a satisfying conclusion to the first story arc. Dixon throws in a few twists, and Johnson does a fantastic job of showing martial arts in a static medium. If the series maintains this level of quality, it deserves to be a big hit.

Rating:

Charlie Wentling