The
Brand family tale continues, as Boston’s father weaves his tale of woe
regarding his extended disappearance into Nanda Parbat. As Deadman possesses
the body of his brother, Cleve, he listens, aware his father is speaking
directly to him, and figures out it’s all a lie – well, mostly
– intended to lure Deadman back into the hands of Rama Kushna.
There’s no
denying Neal Adams’ master rendering, presented her as powerful as ever. Where
the story stumbles is in the dialogue, specifically that of the Spectre. I grew
up on the Jim Aparo run in Adventure
Comics in the mid-‘70s. This confirmed classic features the otherworldly
poetic syntax reserved for characters that have slipped the surly bonds of
Earth. Corny though it may be at times, it adds to the supernatural aspect of
the character.
But here, as
the Spectre confers with Deadman, his dialogue is far more human than I am
accustomed to reading. It is little different from that of Robin, Green Lantern
or any other costumed crime fighter. And for an omniscient wrath of God, Adams
writes him as rather dim, as well.
My other
concern is how little regard Adams pays to the serialized format. It’s as if he
is counting on a six-issue run to be collected into TPB form. With 20 interior
pages per issue, that amounts to 120 total pages. Adams has written the story
accordingly, with little regard for where those issue breaks occur. As result,
each chapter stops, rather than ends, and rather abruptly at that.
Rating:
6/10