Dakota North Investigations.
Dakota North is a private investigator. She's tough as nails, with brains and beauty to match. In a lot of ways, she reminds me of Ms. Tree, the Max Allan Collins creation from the '80s - and, perhaps, Dakota North is Marvel's homage to Collins' book. But, unlike Ms. Tree, Dakota North does not have a vibrant supporting cast. Other than her younger brother, the rest of Dakota's supporting cast only make brief appearances here and there and do not take an active role in her investigations as Ms. Tree's did.
In any event, the original series, which sadly lasted only five issues, introduces readers to Dakota, her younger brother Ricky, her father, her assistant Mad Dog, her somewhat love interest Amos, and the enigmatic Cleo. What begins as a simple bodyguard job for fashion designer Luke Jacobson turns into an international investigation, when Ricky becomes the unwitting pawn in an attempt to hide an experimental nerve gas from enemies who want to use it for nefarious purposes. When Ricky is kidnapped, Dakota chases down his kidnappers to Europe, and in a surprising turn of events, once the whole matter is resolved, it turns out her own father may very well have a connection to the woman manipulating events behind the scenes...
The art in the original series was a bit rough about the edges (Tony Salmons, who I was unfamiliar with at the time, and still am today...), but it worked with the story, keeping the fashion completely on the cutting edge (no pun intended). But, apparently readers in the late '80s just weren't ready for this kind of title, and after five short issues, the series came to end. Personally, I thought this was end of Dakota. So, when Marvel Comics recently offered a trade paperback with way more pages than just five issues could account for, I had to check it out. Having now read the further adventures of his hard-hitting private eye, I'm glad I did! It seems Ms. North made the rounds throughout the Marvel universe after the demise of her own series.
From helping Spider-Man save Mary Jane from a killer targeting models in Web of Spider-Man, to lending some aid to the Power Pack children in tracking down a criminal who stole a hidden treasure. A brief appearance in a Wasp story didn't really amount to much, but a four-part story in Daredevil definitely caught my interest. Quite honestly, that four-part story, which involves Dakota trying to help prove that a man on death row is actually innocent. A heart-felt story, well-written, colored in reds and shadows to keep the mood very somber, and filled with several surprising twists (one of which includes Dakota's dear old dad!). It is this last story in the trade that makes me realize Dakota is still a very viable character and could easily make it in the market today (if Marvel would ever realize that not every book needs to be an X-Men, Spider-Man, or Avengers title).
All in all, this trade paperback was a book well-worth reading, and maybe someday Marvel will collect the other stories of Dakota North (because, of course, I went online and discovered Dakota made quite a few appearances throughout Marvel titles over the years) - I, for one, will definitely but it if they did!
RATING: 10 king-size red bulls out of 10 for reviving my interest in this lesser-known character and (hopefully) generating some new readers that could bring her back to life!
In any event, the original series, which sadly lasted only five issues, introduces readers to Dakota, her younger brother Ricky, her father, her assistant Mad Dog, her somewhat love interest Amos, and the enigmatic Cleo. What begins as a simple bodyguard job for fashion designer Luke Jacobson turns into an international investigation, when Ricky becomes the unwitting pawn in an attempt to hide an experimental nerve gas from enemies who want to use it for nefarious purposes. When Ricky is kidnapped, Dakota chases down his kidnappers to Europe, and in a surprising turn of events, once the whole matter is resolved, it turns out her own father may very well have a connection to the woman manipulating events behind the scenes...The art in the original series was a bit rough about the edges (Tony Salmons, who I was unfamiliar with at the time, and still am today...), but it worked with the story, keeping the fashion completely on the cutting edge (no pun intended). But, apparently readers in the late '80s just weren't ready for this kind of title, and after five short issues, the series came to end. Personally, I thought this was end of Dakota. So, when Marvel Comics recently offered a trade paperback with way more pages than just five issues could account for, I had to check it out. Having now read the further adventures of his hard-hitting private eye, I'm glad I did! It seems Ms. North made the rounds throughout the Marvel universe after the demise of her own series.
From helping Spider-Man save Mary Jane from a killer targeting models in Web of Spider-Man, to lending some aid to the Power Pack children in tracking down a criminal who stole a hidden treasure. A brief appearance in a Wasp story didn't really amount to much, but a four-part story in Daredevil definitely caught my interest. Quite honestly, that four-part story, which involves Dakota trying to help prove that a man on death row is actually innocent. A heart-felt story, well-written, colored in reds and shadows to keep the mood very somber, and filled with several surprising twists (one of which includes Dakota's dear old dad!). It is this last story in the trade that makes me realize Dakota is still a very viable character and could easily make it in the market today (if Marvel would ever realize that not every book needs to be an X-Men, Spider-Man, or Avengers title).
All in all, this trade paperback was a book well-worth reading, and maybe someday Marvel will collect the other stories of Dakota North (because, of course, I went online and discovered Dakota made quite a few appearances throughout Marvel titles over the years) - I, for one, will definitely but it if they did!
RATING: 10 king-size red bulls out of 10 for reviving my interest in this lesser-known character and (hopefully) generating some new readers that could bring her back to life!
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