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MIDNIGHT NATION #11
"The Wheel"
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
Price: $2.50 US/$4.00 CAN |
So here we are, the penultimate issue of Midnight Nation, and
the issue is a bit of a mixed bag for me. Straczynski has been using the
mystical story of a man on a journey to explore a variety of questions about
human nature, and this issue is no different, specifically exploring the
selfishness that can be a part of humanity. I found the conclusion reached a bit
too easy, but the journey there was intriguing, and as always, Gary Frank
provided a nice mixture of clear and creepy in the artwork.
The more I read of Midnight Nation, the more I wish I had just waited for
the trade edition, as this is a story that really seems like it would read
better in collected form. With months between each chapter, there's plenty of
time to consider what's going on, and Straczynski is really telling a story that
isn't too hard to decipher with a little thought, so by the time each issue
comes, there aren't many surprises left. Certainly this issue hinges on a
decision that is going to be obvious to anyone who has been reading the book,
and that meant I didn't find much tension in this particular chapter of the
story.
Which doesn't mean there
aren't questions left. The big question, "what happens now?" is one that I'm
very curious about, and it will definitely bring me back with interest to the
next issue. In addition, while the decision made this issue may have seemed a
foregone conclusion, I appreciated Straczynski's take on the fallen angel, who
seems more sad than evil. Part of this credit belongs to Gary Frank as well, for
delivering such an inspired visual for the villain, showing that the Walkers
were made in his image but giving him a softness and vulnerability to his
features that makes him believable as a persuasive speaker.
From the get-go, I wasn't
sure of Frank as the artist on this title, as it seemed to require a less
realistic, more moody approach. However, as time goes on, I've been proven
wrong. Frank accomplishes a lot with his portrait of Laurel in pain, and
showcases the horror of David's predicament with the emptiness and loneliness of
the setting he finds himself in. He also does a great job on the more inspiring
sequence in the issue, conveying the enormity of the effects of the decision
made in the book.
As the Midnight Nation story draws to a close, I find myself
losing some of the enthusiasm I had for it right at the beginning, but I can't
deny that I still want to know what the ultimate point of the story was, and I'm
still a little unsure, which means there's room for Straczynski to surprise me.
In addition, with or without surprises, I have been pretty happy with the growth
of David and Laurel, and with the twists the story took, developing from a
horror story about monsters hiding in the cracks of reality to the question of
what you would do to get your soul back, and whether good and evil can ever have
easy answers.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
