by Randy Lander

MIDNIGHT, MASS. #1 "Bluebeard's Castle" Recommended (8/10) DC Comics/Vertigo imprint Writer: John Rozum Pencils: Jesus Saiz Inks: Jimmy Palmiotti Colors: Noelle Giddings & Digital Chameleon Letters: Ken Bruzenak Editor: Heidi MacDonald Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN John Rozum wrote one of the most underrated magic/horror titles in comics, Milestone's Xombi, some time back. I'm happy to see him back on a high-profile title, and even happier that the first issue lives up to the same weird, oddly funny and intelligent style that Xombi had. Midnight, Mass. is the story of a haunted New England town, a married pair of beautiful and witty paranormal investigators and, perhaps most crucially, their new assistant, a likable and smart girl who seems to have secrets of her own. I'm impressed with how this series is slightly quirky and odd, but yet completely inviting, and with the setting firmly established in this first issue, I'm curious to see how the plot shapes up in future stories. This issue is largely an introduction, and as such, it is a little light on plot. However, it does give a great introduction to the main characters, in particular the narrator and point-of-view character Jenny. Jenny is naive in some respects, which lets her serve as a good viewpoint character for the readers, but she comes across for the most part as worldly and intelligent, which makes her seem less of a potential weakness for the two adventurous leads and more like another resource. The notion that she has her own secrets is also an intriguing one, making Jenny even more interesting. However, while Jenny is the point-of-view character, the stars of the show are the town of Midnight and its two local celebrities, Adam and Julia Kadmon. Like the Falconer family of Leave it to Chance, the Kadmons are a family that have a history with paranormal phenomena. Choosing to avoid cliche, however, Rozum has not made them spooky and set apart from the rest of humanity, but instead fairly normal. I thought making them some of People's "50 Most Beautiful People" was a particularly nice touch. I also found their good-natured ribbing as a couple was a lot of fun. While there's plenty of normality in the town of Midnight and between the Kadmons, there are also the unusual and magical elements that make the book a Vertigo title. Saiz does some interesting design work for the supernatural horrors in the issue, and I was particularly amused by the whimsical and yet dangerous assassin that was sent after Adam Kadmon's grandfather. Though the book is fairly light, there is an undercurrent of creepy there, and the three-handed assassin is a perfect visual representation of that tone. Much of this issue is spent on "getting to know you" type stuff between the main characters, meaning that getting a read on the overall strength of the series is a little difficult. However, the characters, the setting and the craft are all very solid, and I look forward to seeing what future issues of Midnight, Mass. have to offer. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.