Domino #4 Recap/Review: "Like a Sword Made of Flesh"

[DearMachine]

domino.jpg

DOMINO!

Domino's vacation continues in this issue. She has traveled to Hong Kong in order to train with Shang-Chi in order to maintain control of her powers around Topaz. Unfortunately, she shops for the trip in the sexy fighter section of a cosplay website, and ends up engaging in sexy cultural appropriation. Fortunately, she resisted the "Trampy Iron Fist" costume.

Shang-Chi is unimpressed, and puts her to the test by asking her to shoot him. He uses KUNG FU to disarm her and knock her out before she can pull the trigger, and then tells her to change and return when she's ready to show her heart and not her bravado.

Their subsequent training session goes as you might expect, with a fighting montage. At the end, Domino proposes a game. If she can get a hit on him, they take a break of her choice. He blinks, she gets him in that millisecond, and they go out dancing. It ends in a make-out session, which is of course interrupted by a group of dudes who are out to get their revenge on Shang-Chi. He must keep those peacock feathers on his altar facing outwards.

DIAMONDBACK AND OUTLAW!

In the meantime, Diamondback and Outlaw are relaxing on the Painted Lady, and eating terrible food (marinara made with ketchup? ew.). They decide to go after Topaz themselves. After getting some intel from Deadpool, they end up at Halcyon Electives, an old, mostly-abandoned facility that used to experiment on mutants. They get in a fight with Topaz and Prototype. Prototype explains that he is basically Domino's Portrait of Dorian Gray. Everything good that happens to her literally hurts him.

FLASHBACK!

The story opens with a flashback to Topaz and Prototype as children. Topaz' father was experimenting on and torturing mutant children. He takes particular joy in being cruel to Prototype, using Domino as a means to accomplish that goal. In the scene, it's Prototype and Domino's birthday, and Topaz's father gives her a kitten. It leads to his arm spontaneously breaking in three places. Topaz is close with Prototype, and hates her father and "that damn ghost girl."

THOUGHTS!

Although Domino #4 doesn't particularly move the story forward, it does provide context for Topaz's grudge towards Domino, and valuable depth to the story arc. It's hard not to feel sympathy for Prototype, who has clearly suffered terribly over the years due to Domino's good fortune. The book is unflinching in its depiction of his brutal childhood, where the gift of a kitten is equal to a mangled arm.

At the same time, though, the book remains delightfully fun and witty and enjoyable. Gail Simone has a gift for humor and absurdity, and displays it throughout this book. I laughed out loud several times when I read it. Domino's interactions with Shang-Chi are a particular highlight of the piece, especially when she gushes about how he fought a man with sword for limbs and nunchuks for a head.

On the nitpicky side, a kung fu master wouldn't have a dojo. He'd have a kwoon. It's also not entirely clear how the training will help Domino, except in some generalized sense that martial arts teaches discipline and focus, and she feels she needs that. But it does that because you practice the same damn basics and forms thousands of times until you hate them and get sick of them and you still continue doing them. Still, that's more a flaw of how Marvel generally presents martial arts as a mystical practice than anything else.

In short, this is a great series. More people should buy it. You should buy it!

[Drakeon]

Still not feeling this book. Nothing about how shes written resembles Domino to me whatsoever.

[Tien Long]

Definitely found this issue to be enjoyable. As was previously mentioned, Simone's humor is pretty spot on. Seeing the banter b/w Outlaw and Diamondback was nice.

As for the Domino/Shang-Chi scenes, I liked those as well. Now, there are some nitpicking things. DearMachine is right, it should have been "kwoon" instead of "dojo." Also, I'm still finding it hard to believe how Domino was that instantly attracted to Shang. Finally, that splash page with the training, I felt Shang could have implemented more authentic Kung Fu techniques. I liked the premise of it, that he's just letting Domino attack before he makes the hit. However, a block that looks Kung Fu would be cool. Still, the scenes between them, they were cute. Domino's cosplay, her flirting, great stuff .Seeing Shang, an Asian man who, as a romantic figure, again, that's something we don't see a lot in mainstream comics. While Shang has had relationships in the past before, it's been a long time, y'know?

As for Shang's characterization, it was great. He's serious, but not a walking fortune cookie. That's what I liked the most.

In any case, can't wait for the next issue!

[Perfection/Emma 2]

Domino came out? I'll probably head to the comic book store either tomorrow or Friday after work

[Knives]

This comic is underestimated.

This time we had a good flashback explaining the motives of the villain but the highlight for me was Domino and Shang-Chi the interaction of the two is very funny and think I understood why Domino liked Colossus she has a weak for decent guys

[Sutekh]

I feel cheated that we didn't get to see Neena in her 'trampy Iron Fist' outfit...

I'll feel even more cheated if I don't get to see Danny Rand's reaction to such a thing.

[SonOfPsylocke]

Nothing about how shes written resembles Domino to me whatsoever.

I kinda agree.
I’m still really enjoying the plot though.

[DearMachine]

Still not feeling this book. Nothing about how shes written resembles Domino to me whatsoever.

She reminds me a little of Conner and Palmiotti's Harley Quinn for some reason.

As for the Domino/Shang-Chi scenes, I liked those as well. Now, there are some nitpicking things. DearMachine is right, it should have been "kwoon" instead of "dojo." Also, I'm still finding it hard to believe how Domino was that instantly attracted to Shang. Finally, that splash page with the training, I felt Shang could have implemented more authentic Kung Fu techniques. I liked the premise of it, that he's just letting Domino attack before he makes the hit. However, a block that looks Kung Fu would be cool. Still, the scenes between them, they were cute. Domino's cosplay, her flirting, great stuff .Seeing Shang, an Asian man who, as a romantic figure, again, that's something we don't see a lot in mainstream comics. While Shang has had relationships in the past before, it's been a long time, y'know?

As a (fellow?) kung fu practitioner, I agree. I would have loved his moves to show the essence of his style(s) more. I spent a while looking at the artwork trying to see if I could work out what style(s) Shang-Chi was using, and I couldn't. Some of the blocks looked a little like wing chun, but his stance was too deep and his elbows were out.

But I did appreciate the rest of his characterization. As others have said, he did not talk like a fortune cookie, and there was very little inscrutable mysticism. I also loved that they made him a romantic figure and emphasized his sexiness to Dom, since it pushes back against stereotypes about Asian men that might otherwise come up in a "very white chick seeks training in the East" story.

[Silver Fang]

She reminds me a little of Conner and Palmiotti's Harley Quinn for some reason.

You aren't the only one. Fans ripping into her characterization here have stated Marvel seems like they're trying to make her another Harley Quinn.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

And Domino would run circles around Harley in her fighting ability as she's far from a novice and not goofy or one to make jokes to often...

[CraigTheCylon]

Kyle and Yost's X-Force uses Domino expressly and singularly as a comedy character whose only driving motivations are her lusts for carnage, Logan's penis and money: everyone loves it!

Gail Simone follows through with a Domino who's still impish and funny but has actual nuance and depth to her relationships and psychology: UGH, FLANDERIZED! OOC! THIS ISN'T HOW SHE SOUNDS!


Either y'all want her to be more shallow and ridiculous, you've got short-ass memory span, or both.


Book's great. But as ever, I've stopped talking about it here because you lot harsh my buzz too much.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

No I don't want her more shallow and ridiculous, but she was always a bit on the overly serious side when it came to her work, wasn't money mad and wanted to rob banks, and didn't act like she is in Weapon X and to a degree here...

[Silver Fang]

No I don't want her more shallow and ridiculous, but she was always a bit on the overly serious side when it came to her work, wasn't money mad and wanted to rob banks, and didn't act like she is in Weapon X and to a degree here...

I mainly know Dom fromt he Cable & Deadpool series, along with Bunn's writing for her in Mercs for Money. I liked those versions where she came off fun and snarky, but didn't seem insecure and in the awkward teens stage.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

I remember her from back in the 90's where she had a sense of humor and plenty of snark, but it was deliberate and well placed and she wasn't loosey goosey in terms of her humor and wasn't so outwardly money obsessed, but very composed most of the time...

[Drakeon]

I remember her from back in the 90's where she had a sense of humor and plenty of snark, but it was deliberate and well placed and she wasn't loosey goosey in terms of her humor and wasn't so outwardly money obsessed, but very composed most of the time...

Exactly!

Here shes written with standard modern young girl personality. She was playful in Yost Xforce, and as a merc works for money, but was never like this.