I've thoroughly enjoyed just about every little bit of Cliff Chiang's artistic output in the past year or two, so I was really looking forward to his work on this unusual take on a second-tier DC property. As expected, the art is stunning, and I hope it'll bring even more attention to Chiang's simple but moody style. I also enjoyed the Vertigo spin on one of DC's mainstream trademarks, but Hall is so intent on fostering an air of mystery that the script is a little too vague, leaving the reader feeling uninvolved with the characters.
Paris, circa the 1920s. The night is alive with revelry, and Judith is always at the heart of the party, with her twin sister Madeleine reluctantly tagging along. Judith's penchant for vice brings her into frequent conflict with Inspector Allain, but lucky for her, he's quite smitten with the wildcat. Judith's dreams and her art reveal a different side to her personality, though, something dark and aggressive. Speaking of which, a masked man lurks in the Parisian shadows, preying on unsuspecting women.
It comes as no surprise that Chiang captures a mature, foreboding and dark atmosphere with seeming ease. His simple style has always done so effively in past stories, be it Judd Winick's "Josie Mac" backup stories in Detective Comics or the unusual but compelling Elseworlds book, The Golden Streets of Gotham. The artwork stands out as the book's greatest strength. Of course, Dave Stewart's colors reinforce Chiang's efforts. The design for this new Creeper character pays tribute to the original Steve Ditko design, but it brings a sexy, surreal but alsmost realistic quality to the figure as well.
The most interesting aspect of the script is the dichotomy that the twin sisters represent. Judith is all about indulging her desires and wishes, whereas Madeleine is more devout and proper. Men are drawn to Judith, but Madeleine's caring nature and an air of mystery make her more intriguing to the reader. I also found the inclusion of Ernest Hemingway in the cast of characters to be unexpected but welcome, adding an even stronger sense of history to the book.
Hall is clearly trying to develop an atmopshere of mystery in the book, and he does so with a general ambiguity that permeates the script. It's successful, but the side effect is that the reader is distanced from the characters. Given the setting the characters' more exotic background, it creates a rather significant gap between the audience and subject matter, and I hope it's bridged in subsequent issues.
