It's difficult to describe Parliament of Justice, but I think the easiest way to get it across is to imagine if Sandman Mystery Theatre and From Hell got together with Batman and made hot sweaty comic love. The result would be Parliament of Justice, a pulp/horror/super-hero creation from two creators that I thought I knew better than I did, but who have really impressed me with this self-contained story from Image. Dark, intense and unflinching, the story shows the descent into madness of more than one character and the lines that people cross when they choose to skirt the law.
Oeming has chosen to tell this story from the point-of-view of the lead character, a vigilante and gentleman known as Parliament. As a result, we see the world through his view, and his view certainly flavors the piece as a whole. Parliament comes across as a little bit naive despite his world experience, a believer in the codes of ethics of a hero and a gentleman and even a bit arrogant about the role that he plays in society. He's aware of his own weakness, which is an enjoyment of saving the day and especially the damsel, but he comes across as noble and well-intentioned, which makes the difficulty of the murder case he's faced with more effective.
There's a certain timelessness at work in the setting. Dirigibles, revolvers and flashy newspaper headlines speak to a 1930s pulp time period, but I'm reminded of the sort of archaic modern style that defined Batman: The Animated Series, since I don't believe Oeming ever specifically notes the year or even the name of the city, keeping everything very much in the archetypal vein. There's definitely a backbone here that is built on the pulp and early super-hero archetype, complete with sidekick and dramatic and colorful villains.
That's color in a metaphorical sense, of course, since the book is in black and white. Of course, you won't notice and you won't miss it, because Vokes's artwork here is spectacular. It is by far the best art I've ever seen from him, with beautiful graytone work and powerful, evocative forms and expressions. The scene of the final murder that is the climax of the book and its shocking twist is particularly grotesque and effective, but that doesn't mean I don't also appreciate the sexuality evident in Katherine or the bombastic action that comes in the heroic activities of Parliament and Gypsum. Much of the twisted sensibilities and tone of madness that becomes so important to the book comes through in Vokes's artwork as much as in Oeming's narration.
Parliament of Justice represents a peak for both Oeming's writing and Vokes's art. What starts out as a Batman and Robin riff quickly goes into darker territory and has an ending that will shock and surprise anyone.
