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MIDNIGHT NATION #10
"Drifting Away"
Recommended (7/10)
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Image Comics/Top Cow Productions
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Pencils: Gary Frank
Inks: Jonathan Sibal
Colors: Matt Milla
Letters: Dreamer Design
Editors: Peter Steigerwald & Alvin Coats
Price: $2.50 US |
The last couple issues of Midnight Nation have centered on
revelations and surprises, examinations of the man behind the Walkers and thus
the man behind David Gray's problems. This issue feels more like recap,
refreshing readers on previous scenes, with a touch of new story but nothing as
unexpected or thought-provoking as we have seen in the previous issues. The
creeping sadness and despair that the book has taken on is played up to full
effect, leaving room for the triumph of hope, but this one didn't quite grab me
the way the last few have.
The subtlety of angels vs.
demons has gone away little by little, and we're left now with the story of
Lucifer tempting a man, and an angel helping him along the way. Though the take
on Lucifer isn't as intriguing as the one seen over in DC's Vertigo title, I am
enjoying Straczynski's version of the character, who seems almost as sad as he
is wicked. This isn't the life he would have chosen, anymore than it is the life
Laurel or David might have chosen, and this ambiguity in his motivations and
personality makes him a much better antagonist.
I have to admit that this
issue, more than any other, I felt like David isn't really much of a
protagonist. He's been led around throughout the series, and though he has
arguably chosen his fate in some regard as far as acting kind to others and
fighting the Walkers, he seems to be basically following the path the writer has
laid down for him. I haven't really connected to the feelings he has for Laurel,
and though I like her character and David's, I can't quite get worked up about
their situations in this issue, which indicates either a severe lack of empathy
on my part or a failure of Straczynski to connect them with the reader.
Naturally, I assume the latter.
Early on, I had complained that
Gary Frank, while a fine artist, seemed an odd choice for a title that focused
on dark and moody. I'm still not sure the book wouldn't have been better served
with a little more gritty atmosphere in its artist, but in general the designs
for this hellish version of New York and the disturbing half-glimpses of what
happens to David and Laurel in this issue are suitably creepy and effective.
While this issue itself moved
the story along only a small amount, it does provide a fair amount of hints and
setup for the conclusion. The cycle that Laurel and Lucifer both have alluded to
remains to be explored, and the conflict over David's soul, the heart of this
series, should make for an interesting couple of issues.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
