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THE SANDMAN PRESENTS: THE CORINTHIAN #2
Mildly Recommended (5/10)
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DC Comics/Vertigo imprint
Writer: Darko Macan
Artist: Daniel Zezelj
Colors: Sherilyn Van Valkenburgh & Jamison
Letters: John Costanza
Editor: Shelly Bond
Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN |
I rather enjoyed the mystery and the mood of the first issue of this limited series, and I enjoyed this second issue as well. However, I find it almost impossible to reconcile the two scripts. There's not a strong sense of flow in Macan's scripts, and it detracts from what might have been an otherwise challenging and enveloping story. Still, the thick, dark Zezelj art continues to impress.
Charles Constantine faces off against the Corinthian, who has been haunting him in the body of a young German soldier since the First World War. One is a killing machine, delighting in death, while the other, despite his heritage, cannot bring himself to take a life under any circumstances. Meanwhile, the Corinthian's influence in Venice spreads, from a new bride haunted by his words to a group of gondoliers who kill in the name of politics.
Zezelj's thick lines makes for surprisingly expressive characters. He conveys the dark, palpable emotions driving this story forward. We can see Mistress Pestilence's corrupt soul and her delusional confidence in the gaunt appearance that the artist has granted her, and we can see the Corinthian's twisted delight in his newfound freedom in the face of his host. Van Valkenburgh's muted colors reinforce the cursed atmosphere of the tale as well.
Macan has crafted some bizarre but fascinating characters to serve as the players in his drama. Though he hasn't shown us yet how it will all come together, the characters are quite believable, despite the supernatural and foreign circumstances in which they find themselves.
In the end, though, Macan left me scratching my head. In his expositionary text piece, it is revealed that there's an even stronger connection ot Neil Gaiman's original Sandman series, hinging the story on one of the most obscure characters and scenes from the first issue of the series. It not only makes for an inaccessible read (even for those of us who are well versed in the intricate and intelligent mythology Gaiman created), but a disjointed, confusing one as well.
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