Okay, it’s been like a year or so since I wrote anything about comics, but here goes:
Shadowpact #1
Wow… this is rather disappointing. I hadn’t read a DC super-hero book, other than the LSH, in a couple years until a friend at work found out I liked comics and dumped three trades on my desk for my enjoyment. It was the Identity Crisis (technically excellent but really unlikable), and two of the Infinite Crisis tie-ins, Villains United and Day of Vengeance. The latter two I really rather enjoyed and it eventually stimulated my interest enough to try out many of the OYL books. After the somewhat scattered but still enjoyable DoV special, I was very much looking forward to this ongoing series.
And it’s just not that good. This makes very little sense, as Bill Willingham returns as both writer and artist. Actually, that seems to be a big part of the problem. The art here is just awful, full of odd proportions and shapeless figures. There is a very amateurish look to it, and I can’t tell I that’s the point or what. Willingham has been a very fine artist in the past, so there is hope. Unfortunately the story doesn’t come to the rescue either, as we’re presented with a very generic group of villains doing… well, we’re not quite sure. They’ve encased an small Wyoming town in a force field made of blood (that’s pretty damned cool) and plan some sacrifice to summon an ancient evil. You know, like you do.
Not all of the spark is gone from this title. The interplay between characters is still better than most anything else available, especially between Detective Chimp and Nightshade. Just having Detective Chimp is cool, and the fact that he now wears a superhero costume is classic.
I really want this series to do will -and we all know how successful most D-List characters are at keeping their own series- and there is stuff to like here, but it needs to get better.
And get Enchantress’ her damned pointy hat back.
Posted by Frinklin at May 20, 2006 12:06 AM | TrackBack