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By Alan Moore & various (WildStorm)
ISBN 1-84576-661-X
New collections of the work of Alan Moore are few and far between these days and most of his previous output found its way between stiffened covers eventually (didn’t he do some stuff for Marvel UK’s Star Wars comic? I don’t think that’s been strip-mined yet…), so it’s high time his brushes with Image Comics got the treatment. I honestly wish I could say it’s been worth the wait, though.
The big draw at the time of publishing (1996) must have been as much the teaming of Todd McFarlane’s Spawn and Jim Lee’s WildC.A.T.s as the chance to see one of the world’s greatest comics creators turn his hand to superheroes once again. If so, they must have been pretty disappointed.
‘Devil’s Day’, illustrated by Scott Clark and Sal Regla, is a mediocre time-travel story wherein the heroes must travel forward in time to defeat their evil future selves. It’s all actually rather dull and dreary, and lacking any of the clear humanity that Moore excels in capturing. I wonder how much editorial freedom was allowed in combining two creator-owned properties under a third creator’s control?
Much more enjoyable is ‘The Big Chill’ taken from Wildstorm Spotlight #1 (1997). It features the Superman analogue Majestic in a moody, contemplative light as one of the nine beings at the end of time, when entropy is finally shutting the universe down. Carlos D’Anda and Richard Friend provide lovely pictures for the kind of cosmically metaphysical yet intimate wonderment that Moore does best, peeking inside invulnerable skin and behind glittery masks.
The Voodoo miniseries ‘Dancing in the Dark’ saw the exotic dancer and superhero become a pole-dancer in New Orleans and the tool of the all-powerful Loa to prevent a hideous monster from resurrecting its ancient evils in a modern city. Produced during the height of the “Bad Girls†craze (1997-1998), there are lots of gravity-defying, implausible curves and much sweaty skin on display to off-set all the gore, courtesy of pencillers Al Rio and Michael Lopez, and a host of inkers. The combination of crime-thriller, voodoo magic and skintight melodrama makes for an easy if predictable read.
Super-soldier Deathblow is more or less the star of ‘Deathblow: Byblows’ as a mysterious quest through a fantastic land answers questions about the seekers that perhaps they shouldn’t have asked. Moore and Jim Baikie create a mood reminiscent of Patrick McGoohan’s The Prisoner as well as loads of action to carry the mystery along.
The final tale is from WildC.A.T.s #50, and is beautifully drawn by Travis Charest. Sadly however, I don’t really feel able to comment beyond that because ‘Reincarnation’ is a little eight page tale that recounts events and features commentary from some previous story that I haven’t read, isn’t explained, and features a bunch of characters I’m unfamiliar with. Couched as banter whilst dealing with a monster in their headquarters, it is surely very sharp and no doubt very witty, but I don’t know what is going on and that makes me confused and grumpy.
Surely a page of explanation wouldn’t have been too much trouble if this story had to be included? Or perhaps the editors should have printed the story in a WildC.A.T.s trade edition where it would make more sense, and more rightly belongs?
The name of the author always guarantees sales, but every writer has stories he’s less pleased with. I’m guessing these aren’t any of Mr. Moore’s favourites and they do him a disservice being cobbled together in this manner.
I wonder if they even asked him?
© 2007 WildStorm Production, an imprint of DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.
Spawn and related characters are ®, ™ and © Todd McFarlane, Inc.