Comic Review: Domino (2018) Annual #1

Domino Annual #1

Marvel Comics

Writer: Dennis Hopeless

Artist: Natasha Bustos

The Domino annual provides a look at the day-in-the-life of Domino as a gun for hire. Domino has three assignments for the day. As she takes care of those assignments we get a peek at Domino through accompanying stories. The assignments are a reminder that Domino is deadly and a bit frightening. The additional stories are a reminder of how fun and likable Domino can be.

The first tale in the issue is the meet-cute of Domino and Outlaw. For those that do not know Outlaw is a strong and aggressive mercenary dressed in a revealing cowgirl outfit. Through a misunderstanding Outlaw is protecting a mutant hater who is salvaging junk to create weapons. The story is a fun adventure involving the trio of girls Diamondback, Outlaw, and of course Domino.

The section is drawn by Victor Ibanez and looks good. Professor Salvage as the villain calls himself has little to his introduction. He appears in a cartoonish entrance before the story quickly ends. The lack of Professor Salvage makes it seem like he could be appearing again soon. In moments like this, a bland and forgotten character like the Eel might be used. The use of a new character in this story suggests he may become of some significance in future stories. So look forward to that.

The second story was about what I thought to be the weakest in the book. The section revisits the infamous bathtub scene from New Mutants. Cable is fighting a losing battle in the future and is thinking back to how hot Domino is. Cable is angry about the fact his lover was not actually Neena, but instead Copycat as was revealed in X-Force (1990) number eleven.

The art for the Cable section is gritty and dark in most of the section. The colors do a great job of making the harsh future look dirty and violent. When we cut back to the bathtub the art does a good job of transitioning to a more sensual and dreamlike appearance. In a mostly forgettable portion of the issue, the art is the strongest part.

The third story involves Domino visiting Colossus to cheer him up. Peter has gone back to his home country of Russia to sulk and drink his pain away after Kitty Pryde left him at the altar. Domino goes to Russia to steal from the Crimson Dynamo and gets Colossus involved. Domino gets turned on watching Colossus at work and decides to make him feel better. The story follows the sex-positive message that the Domino title has been reaching for. The action of this story made this one of the most enjoyable parts of the issue.

The art makes everyone involved look good. The art is by Leonard Kirk who does a great job conveying action scenes. The panels are very standard, but they make the action look good.

The last story is about Domino and Nightcrawler leading a body image support group for mutants. There are probably see people taking issue with the topics of each story in this book. This last section is the least subtle about its message.  It would make sense to address the issue that so many mutants do not resemble what we would typically call human. The part of this story that worked the best for me is Stacy X. She was a sex worker who had scales and a less human appearance. Stacy now resembles an average human and struggles with the fact that she does not look unique anymore. I can’t say that this section worked for me as well as what I am sure writer Leah Williams intended, but the writing has its strengths.

The art by Michael Shefler has a slightly more animated tone than what the subject matter needed. Some of the more emotional moments did not resonate due to the lack of facial expression or detail. A tear in Stacy’s eyes could have helped elevate the scene. The section still works but had room for improvement.

Overall this is a pretty strong issue. Fans of the ongoing series will enjoy the book for sure. The issue still has enough fun and positive messages to make this entertaining for readers that are not invested in the series. I would give it a recommendation.