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By Bill Willingham & various (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84576-533-8
Spinning off from the Infinite Crisis miniseries Day of Vengeance (ISBN 1-84576-230-4), Bill Willingham reassembles his motley team of supernatural superheroes for ongoing adventures in a DC Universe that has completely new Rules of Magic.
Collecting issues #1-3 and 5-8 of the monthly comic-book, he starts off the run with a dark and moody tale as the team are trapped for a year in the rural town of Riverrock, Wyoming, cut off from the rest of the DCU in mortal, mystic combat with a team of murderous villains who bear distressing similarities to themselves. There is an added bonus in that the first two chapters are also drawn by Willingham – a rare treat for old time fans of such fantasy series as The Elementals, Coventry or Ironwood – before Cory Walker steps in to illustrate the concluding part.
There’s a ‘One Year Later’ episode next as the team catch up with events that serves as a springboard for the next extended storyline, with visuals from Steve Scott and Wayne Faucher, and walker returns for ‘The Wild Hunt’ as a hidden mastermind sets a bounty on the team and various bad Mojo types try to claim it.
The plot further unfolds in ‘The Laws of Battle’ (with art by Tom Derenick and Faucher) as the creepily Fundamentalist “Congregation†attack, determined to wipe out the ungodly magic-spawn. ‘Ragtime’ concludes the volume as the eerie Ragman gains a new and deeper understanding of the blessing and curse of his particular abilities. This one is illustrated by Thessaly collaborator Shawn McManus (Thessaly: Witch For Hire ISBN 1-84576-194-4 and Taller Tales ISBN 1-84023-769-4) and ends the book on a high note.
Although targeting a more general audience than his Vertigo work, Willingham’s sly wit and superb ear for dialogue make this a superhero series that might convert a few resistant ‘Civilians’. Why not buy your partner a copy and see what happens…
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