Writer: Tamora Pierce & Timothy Liebe
Artists: Phil Briones(p), Don Hillsman(i), Chris Sotomayor(c)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
"Yoo-Hoo…!"--Spider-Man
White Tiger is written with rare intelligence and skill. Tamora Pierce is a fantasy author, but her talents aren't limited to that genre.
Pierce and her writing partner Timothy Liebe consider all the facets that make up Angela del Toro's personality. They for instance rightfully recognize that Angela, with her extensive law enforcement background, would easily identify fake cops and find being thought of as a vigilante distressing.
Angela is a legacy in more ways than one. The family members of Hector Ayala's clan are as Angela states "cops, martial artists or both." I haven't been this excited about a legacy hero since Helena Wayne graced the comic book world. White Tiger has a kickass attitude to match that of the Huntress.
Pierce and Liebe have a strong grasp of the martial arts and in general know what makes a story interesting. White Tiger's plot makes sense. The Tiger is trying to break a forgery ring. They're not forging money. Rather they're using ties to Homeland Security to forge passports. The White Tiger performs accurate detective work in and out of costume. She follows leads. She investigates anomalies, and at the same time she patrols the streets to take out the trash. This is an empowered female super-hero and thinker worthy of praise.
Marvel guest stars, captured in character, enhance the tapestry of White Tiger's street-level super-hero world, and each of the heroes seen in the book have ties to either White Tiger or the plot. There's not a wasted scene or gratuitous character in this tightly written excursion into a particular archetype's world.
Angela like the best avatars of iconic figures stands out. Her first person narration ripples with uniqueness. Her lively words inform the reader and open a window to her personality.
Phil Briones illustrates the action artwork with a conscious effort to stay within the milieu of the martial arts theater. White Tiger is no mean fighter. She does mid-air splits to kick pairs of plug-uglies in their faces. She tackles groups of urban vermin. In a brutal, wrenching scene, she suffers under the constrictive power of Cobra, but she combats the assassin to a standstill, and it's literally the ringing of the bell, cleverly and naturally insinuated, that calls the round.
Simply put. I love The White Tiger. This is one of Marvel's best titles of 2006. I'm betting that it will remain that way in 2007.
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