Writer/Artist: Bill Willingham
Publisher: DC Comics
Two monkeys for the price of one? Hot damn!
Despite not getting very far in terms of plot, the first issue of Shadowpact does a lot of work with reintroducing the cast, introducing the enemies, and laying out some of the ground rules for the magical corner of the DCU. Oh, and there’s a good guy monkey and a bad guy monkey and a talking dog. I’m jazzed.
I don’t think I’ve read a book illustrated by Willingham before and I’m surprised at how similarly the layouts resemble those in Fables. Since Shadowpact is banking on the strength of Willingham’s reputation from Fables as its main selling point (Infinite what?), any immediate similarities will make the readers’ introduction to the characters and themes of this book that much smoother.
What surprised me is how the cast seems more developed in this single issue than it did throughout all of Day of Vengeance. More than that, I already have a feel for the antagonists and the curious stakes for which they’re playing. The One Year Later gap is well covered and used as a clever means of suspense, and the involvement of the rest of the DCU is also given adequate mention.
If there’s one thing I’m still confused about, it’s that the rules of magic are never really spelled out. The Spectre’s rampage is mentioned and a new age of magic is about to dawn, but what does that really mean? The Spectre sought to wipe out all magic and killed the wizard Shazam, but in this issue magic still exists to some degree. I suppose this situation won’t really bother new readers, but as a continuation from Day of Vengeance, I can’t help but wonder what the implications and repercussions were supposed to be.
No offense to Walt Simonson, but I’m glad he’s off the covers. Not that this first issue sports an impressive cover (come on Bill Will, those James Jean Fables covers have to have rubbed off on you at least a little), but it’s a start. And what’s with Chimp’s new threads? Come on, if it ain’t broke . . .
In terms of content, this is how a first issue should be played. As long as Willingham keeps it to DCU Magic 101 for us newbies, he’ll have successfully freed the magic genre from Vertigo’s stranglehold.
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