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Ruse #2
Ruse, Vol. 2: The Silent Partner
After ex-partner Malcolm Lightbourne attempts to murder his current investigative partner, Emma Bishop, detective Simon Archard sets out to solve a number of new cases seemingly unrelated to Lightbourne, leaving Emma at a loss.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
3 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Mark Waid
3,041Ìýbooks1,208ÌýfollowersMark Waid (born March 21, 1962 in Hueytown, Alabama) is an American comic book writer. He is best known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 29, 2013
Ruse is a graphic novel series that is perfect for readers who love the Victorian-set adventure vibe. There is a paranormal element that felt very light in this volume, but it's there for readers who like a bit of the weird (admittedly myself). For readers who can't get enough of the sometimes obnoxious Sherlock Holmesian character, Simon is going to appeal. At the same time, with this edition, we see more vulnerability and the less confident person beneath the know-it-all exterior. Emma's loyalty to the often maddening Simon is much like Watson. It serves to make you like Simon more because you feel that if Emma likes him, then there must be something to like/love about him. Emma is definitely long-suffering. Simon gets her into many a dangerous situation, and he isn't very nice to her. Much like Watson is treated by Sherlock. The arch-nemesis adds a twist that reminds the reader of Moriarty, but takes the character in a much more interesting direction, although I admit I am rather tired of that character. At the end of this volume, the author teases at a game-changer, so we'll see what happens next.
The chapters in this volume have some interesting story-arcs, especially the small village that our two leads end up staying in. That was really kind of cool. Not what I expected at all. The other stories tie closer together to the overarching theme of this volume, and they bring to mind the high adventure classics of Victorian literature in a very pleasing fashion.
The art is well-done, but as I said for the previous volume, I find the panel progression confusing. Instead of moving left to right down the page, they often go willy-nilly from page to page and often across the page. I find myself having to backtrack and catch the flow of the story, especially last night, when my brain was fried. That is the major detractor for this series.
Ruse is a graphic novel series that I count as a major find, as such a huge fan of Victorian genre literature, and know-it-all sleuths and their long-suffering companions. The action is really good and it keeps me guessing what will happen next. I'm excited to keep reading this series.
The chapters in this volume have some interesting story-arcs, especially the small village that our two leads end up staying in. That was really kind of cool. Not what I expected at all. The other stories tie closer together to the overarching theme of this volume, and they bring to mind the high adventure classics of Victorian literature in a very pleasing fashion.
The art is well-done, but as I said for the previous volume, I find the panel progression confusing. Instead of moving left to right down the page, they often go willy-nilly from page to page and often across the page. I find myself having to backtrack and catch the flow of the story, especially last night, when my brain was fried. That is the major detractor for this series.
Ruse is a graphic novel series that I count as a major find, as such a huge fan of Victorian genre literature, and know-it-all sleuths and their long-suffering companions. The action is really good and it keeps me guessing what will happen next. I'm excited to keep reading this series.
December 27, 2018
Releo al cabo de los años este segundo tomo de Ruse y me vuelvo a sumergir en ese planeta del universo de curiosos mundos temáticos, donde el guionista Mark Waid creó una civilización a imagen y semejanza en muchos aspectos del Londres victoriano.
¿Y qué serÃa de un planeta asà sin su propio Sherlock Holmes? No serÃa lo mismo, por supuesto, y de ahà la figura de su protagonista, Simon Archard, acompañado no de Watson ,sino de Emma, una misteriosa acompañante con poderes sobrenaturales (lo cual guarda celosamente en secreto a ojos de todo el mundo, a riesgo de recibir una reprimenda de vaya usted a saber con quién habla en otros niveles).
La aventura de este tomo se central principalmente en Lightbourne, o lo que para entendernos serÃa el clásico Jack el Destripador mezclado con Moriarty... a menos que nos estén engañando en algo, claro.
La historia transcurre de un modo bastante desconcertante con respecto al primer número, pues la figura de Simon desaparece en buena medida en favor de Emma. Y la resolución no es tan brillante como cabrÃa de esperar, si bien es más que probable que asà en previsión de futuras sorpresas en números venideros. Por supuesto, esto puede original cierto desconcierto con respecto de Lightbourne está vivo o muerto, o primero muerto y luego vivo. Pero a un guionista como Waid no se le escapan estas cosas nunca, ¿verdad?
Sobre el dibujante, Jackson "Butch" Guice es excelente. Muy realista y detallista, sin descuidar fondos ni elementos. Existe un capÃtulo intermedio dibujado por otro autor cuyo nombre no me molestaré en buscar, pero cuya ausencia de brillo compensa con crecer el excelente entintado de Paul Neary, maestro donde los haya.
Agradecer a la edición de Planeta que se realizara el esfuerzo de la introducción maquetada con el periódico victoriano que vemos en ocasiones en el interior. El director gráfico tuvo la idea o la copió del tomo recopilatorio americano, no lo sé. Pero es todo un acierto emplear dos páginas para una introducción de personajes y resumen del tomo anterior.
Continuaré releyendo los próximos tomos, e incluso la parte inédita en España, de la que ya hice mención sucinta junto con mis alabanzas a la introducción en una breve entrada en mi blog.
¿Y qué serÃa de un planeta asà sin su propio Sherlock Holmes? No serÃa lo mismo, por supuesto, y de ahà la figura de su protagonista, Simon Archard, acompañado no de Watson ,sino de Emma, una misteriosa acompañante con poderes sobrenaturales (lo cual guarda celosamente en secreto a ojos de todo el mundo, a riesgo de recibir una reprimenda de vaya usted a saber con quién habla en otros niveles).
La aventura de este tomo se central principalmente en Lightbourne, o lo que para entendernos serÃa el clásico Jack el Destripador mezclado con Moriarty... a menos que nos estén engañando en algo, claro.
La historia transcurre de un modo bastante desconcertante con respecto al primer número, pues la figura de Simon desaparece en buena medida en favor de Emma. Y la resolución no es tan brillante como cabrÃa de esperar, si bien es más que probable que asà en previsión de futuras sorpresas en números venideros. Por supuesto, esto puede original cierto desconcierto con respecto de Lightbourne está vivo o muerto, o primero muerto y luego vivo. Pero a un guionista como Waid no se le escapan estas cosas nunca, ¿verdad?
Sobre el dibujante, Jackson "Butch" Guice es excelente. Muy realista y detallista, sin descuidar fondos ni elementos. Existe un capÃtulo intermedio dibujado por otro autor cuyo nombre no me molestaré en buscar, pero cuya ausencia de brillo compensa con crecer el excelente entintado de Paul Neary, maestro donde los haya.
Agradecer a la edición de Planeta que se realizara el esfuerzo de la introducción maquetada con el periódico victoriano que vemos en ocasiones en el interior. El director gráfico tuvo la idea o la copió del tomo recopilatorio americano, no lo sé. Pero es todo un acierto emplear dos páginas para una introducción de personajes y resumen del tomo anterior.
Continuaré releyendo los próximos tomos, e incluso la parte inédita en España, de la que ya hice mención sucinta junto con mis alabanzas a la introducción en una breve entrada en mi blog.
January 21, 2011
An entertaining sequel exploring the Holmes-like detectives ex-partner turned crazy killer. I think I liked this more than the first one. But since I really don't remember much about the first one I probably need to go back and reread it to make sure (or maybe I'll just call it good and move on to something else).
July 21, 2011
I wasn't as impressed this time around. I was hoping to find out more about Emma (like exactly what is she?), but the entire plot revolved around Simon's ex-partner. It was interesting, but not that interesting.
August 27, 2007
The Ruse series is one of several reasons I was sad to see Crossgen go out of business. Absolutely brilliant, beautiful comic book genius.
April 27, 2020
Such great fun comics storytelling by Waid & Guice, et. al. great ink art by Mike Perkins and Color art by Laura Dupuy Martin, all at their best. This includes incoming scripter Scott Beatty and letter artist Dave Lampear. These publications sadly disappeared when publisher CrossGen went under, bought by Marvel, and after a brief revival, including this title, a veil of silence laid down.
One device stands out for excellence in this series. Two page spreads of panels are used to storytelling effect. Just read, and you'll see what I mean. In some creators' hands - I'm looking at you, - I get a jarring wonder which way my eye should travel, even after fifty years of reading. Not here: the device is consistent and used for consistent narrative effect.
Highly recommended.
One device stands out for excellence in this series. Two page spreads of panels are used to storytelling effect. Just read, and you'll see what I mean. In some creators' hands - I'm looking at you, - I get a jarring wonder which way my eye should travel, even after fifty years of reading. Not here: the device is consistent and used for consistent narrative effect.
Highly recommended.
April 16, 2019
The mystery continues. A mixture of Hammer Horror, Steam Punk and Sherlock Holmes decorated with some excellent artwork and spiced with some humour. A town literally in the middle of nowhere, rampaging gypsies and some supernatural baddies is just the beginning as Archard and Emma track the clues that has Archard on edge and leaves his assistant bewildered and frustrated. However things come towards a conclusion and the pace quickens.
July 2, 2021
Happy to have finally continued this story. I don’t know how I’m going to get my hands on the next one though lol.
March 22, 2011
So, a few weeks ago, a coworker and I were talking about graphic novels, and during the discussion, she mentioned how much she loved Ruse. She told me a little about the premise, and while it didn’t really rock my socks off, she loaned me the first two trade paperbacks to give them a read, and I figured: Why not?
Well, on the bright side, I didn’t spend a whole lot of time reading the collections. And truth be told, the stories aren’t bad, as much as they’re just not anything I’m really interested in reading. The main character is clearly a Sherlock Holmes rip-off, and the fantasy setting and elements are (so far) so slight as to be merely asides to the more mundane challenges the detective faces. It’s clear from the first chapter that Emma, his assistant/partner, has some sort of supernatural ability, but she’s suppressing them as part of a wager that she has going on with � someone. Or something. Regardless, she has a recurring narrative with someone who doesn’t appear in the story, but it’s not so recurring that it becomes a major part of the story. Still, Emma narrates the stories, and she often brings up these abilities that she can’t use, so not only is it never far from the reader’s mind, but it also gets a little annoying.
Archard himself takes the stage whenever the two of them are “on screen,� but he’s such an insufferable, arrogant boor that Emma has to step in often to make up for his lack of social graces. There are hints in the second volume that Archard’s not all he’s made himself out to be, and the writers show a different side of the character, but not enough for me to care that much about him. That makes him a pretty unsympathetic character, which can be a death knell for any story. Of course, saying who is the protagonist here is up for some debate: Is it Archard, or Emma? I’m not entirely sure. I’d guess that reading more of the series would answer the question, but I’m not really interested enough to read further to find out.
As for the stories themselves, they’re entertaining, if a little overwrought in some places. The first volume has a more satisfying story-arc, but didn’t really move me. The second volume is nearly horrible, but not because of the main characters. Instead, the villain becomes the character at center stage, and he’s just not enough to pull off the series. The villain, Lightbourne, is intended to be the Moriarty character to Archard’s Holmes, but he winds up coming across more as a megalomaniacal ninny than as a challenging, recurring antagonist. The potential is there, but it seems wasted when he becomes the focus of the story.
The artwork is fine, but I find myself liking graphic novels where the artwork is more impressionistic than realistic, and in this series, the art definitely falls into the latter category. Despite that, I had a hard time following some of the action scenes, and during the final showdown between Archard and Lightbourne, there were a couple of scenes where I wasn’t even sure what happened. There was something huge happening, and then Archard did � something? � and it all went to hell for Lightbourne. I couldn’t tell you what that was, though. It was definitely the turning point in the battle, though.
This series has many fans, enough so as to demand a reprint of the original stories, but I just don’t get it. That’s fine (I don’t argue with people who say that Steve Alten is a horrible writer, but I still dig his novels), but for all the praise my coworker gushed about the series, I was expecting a lot more.
Well, on the bright side, I didn’t spend a whole lot of time reading the collections. And truth be told, the stories aren’t bad, as much as they’re just not anything I’m really interested in reading. The main character is clearly a Sherlock Holmes rip-off, and the fantasy setting and elements are (so far) so slight as to be merely asides to the more mundane challenges the detective faces. It’s clear from the first chapter that Emma, his assistant/partner, has some sort of supernatural ability, but she’s suppressing them as part of a wager that she has going on with � someone. Or something. Regardless, she has a recurring narrative with someone who doesn’t appear in the story, but it’s not so recurring that it becomes a major part of the story. Still, Emma narrates the stories, and she often brings up these abilities that she can’t use, so not only is it never far from the reader’s mind, but it also gets a little annoying.
Archard himself takes the stage whenever the two of them are “on screen,� but he’s such an insufferable, arrogant boor that Emma has to step in often to make up for his lack of social graces. There are hints in the second volume that Archard’s not all he’s made himself out to be, and the writers show a different side of the character, but not enough for me to care that much about him. That makes him a pretty unsympathetic character, which can be a death knell for any story. Of course, saying who is the protagonist here is up for some debate: Is it Archard, or Emma? I’m not entirely sure. I’d guess that reading more of the series would answer the question, but I’m not really interested enough to read further to find out.
As for the stories themselves, they’re entertaining, if a little overwrought in some places. The first volume has a more satisfying story-arc, but didn’t really move me. The second volume is nearly horrible, but not because of the main characters. Instead, the villain becomes the character at center stage, and he’s just not enough to pull off the series. The villain, Lightbourne, is intended to be the Moriarty character to Archard’s Holmes, but he winds up coming across more as a megalomaniacal ninny than as a challenging, recurring antagonist. The potential is there, but it seems wasted when he becomes the focus of the story.
The artwork is fine, but I find myself liking graphic novels where the artwork is more impressionistic than realistic, and in this series, the art definitely falls into the latter category. Despite that, I had a hard time following some of the action scenes, and during the final showdown between Archard and Lightbourne, there were a couple of scenes where I wasn’t even sure what happened. There was something huge happening, and then Archard did � something? � and it all went to hell for Lightbourne. I couldn’t tell you what that was, though. It was definitely the turning point in the battle, though.
This series has many fans, enough so as to demand a reprint of the original stories, but I just don’t get it. That’s fine (I don’t argue with people who say that Steve Alten is a horrible writer, but I still dig his novels), but for all the praise my coworker gushed about the series, I was expecting a lot more.
October 31, 2007
Very good art, decent storytelling - but (at least the copy I have has) utterly rubbish binding! Newish book and the spine can't handle the first few page turns. This isn't as random as one might think, after all, what's the point of reading a book if one can't turn the page... but if you can get a good copy, enjoy Ruse to the fullest.
August 10, 2009
The last half of this, about Archard and Lightbourne, was the strongest part of this book, I thought. The first story seemed pretty standard and not really explained very well (like in Heroes, where somehow changes in your DNA make you fly or talk to machines). The best part, as usual, is the Archard/Bishop dialogue and the fantasy Victorian setting.
February 13, 2017
Oh thank god Marvel bought Crossgen so I can continue to read Ruse. This volume is more entertaining than the first, probably because the super hero adventure bits aren't bogged down by world and character introductions. And anything that has a riff on the illustrations of J.C. Leyendecker is super sweet.
February 11, 2013
Not bad at all. Pretty entertaining. This was an impulse buy at a recent sale at the local comic store and I'm pretty glad I decided to pick it up. The art by Guice was also a highlight for me.
One problem though- the binding was horrible! It fell apart almost immediately after I unwrapped the comic. Is this why Crossgen Comics went out of business?
One problem though- the binding was horrible! It fell apart almost immediately after I unwrapped the comic. Is this why Crossgen Comics went out of business?
June 18, 2012
I liked volume two: the silent partner much better than volume one: enter the detective. Simon and Emma were easier to relate to and I enjoyed the villain, backstory, and mysteries much more. I don't think there is a volume three, which is disappointing.
May 3, 2019
Another great installment of the Ruse saga!
August 20, 2009
this is a really good series
September 3, 2010
I found the tpb in a bargain bin for the paltry sum of $2. Fantastic value for that price. Will try to go and find the first and next volumes.
December 7, 2010
Artwork is beautiful, story is intriguing (if slightly improbable), and dialogue is as funny and sharp as ever!
January 15, 2012
Thrilling, romantic, and a lot of fun!
Read
April 22, 2016A bit of an accelerated conclusion to the series, but gem-filled nonetheless, with Emma & Archard's charismatic back-and-forth, mysteries aplenty, and a neat ending.
October 13, 2016
As I wrote a few days ago, I am culling my books. I am reading all of my comics and graphic novels first.
November 28, 2011
A Victorian mystery with a dash of the supernatural.
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