This summer, one of the celebrations at the San Diego Comicon will be for the 10th anniversary of Supernatural Law, Batton Lash's story of lawyers for creatures of the night. With She-Hulk doing a similar riff on superhero law, now seems like a good thing to nudge all those fans in the direction of Supernatural Law, which has the same wit but a slightly different approach and a lot of really good characters filling out the pages, all of whom have had plenty of time to become well-fleshed out and interesting. Though Lash will be producing a special this summer that looks back at the origins of this duo of legal eagles, this issue is a bit of a primer on the book as well, told from the point of view of a new character who is perfect to give this kind of overview. Fans of legal dramas, Universal monsters or even better, both, should really give Supernatural Law in general, and this issue in particular, a chance to impress them.
There's something a bit transparent about a "recap" issue, and yeah, Supernatural Law #40 does read pretty much like a primer for new readers, a glorified 22-page recap page. However, while there's a lot of old information covered in these pages, Lash hardly puts the story on hold, and he delivers some pretty major status quo changes in this issue as well. The cast of this book and their interpersonal difficulties are a big part of why I read the book, and this issue does some pretty big shakeups in the cast, as well as giving each castmember a panel or two at least in which their relationships are examined. Lash constructs Supernatural Law like an ensemble drama, with the personal stories of the characters always in motion.
However, while the personal drama is always interesting, Supernatural Law is also based on something of high concept with plenty of gag potential, and Lash never misses the chance to have a little fun. Whether it's the relatively simple and approachable humor of puns, cute literary references from Frankenstein's monster or some musical references with another client, Lash's book is packed with fun little bits. There's not a lot of laugh out loud humor, and for such a weird premise, the book is relatively straight-laced when compared to humor books like The Goon, but Supernatural Law never fails to make me smile.
Lash's storytelling is accompanied by some of the most polished art in the business. It's not as flashy as a lot of the artwork that's out there, but what it does have going for it is pure professionalism, a practiced style that emphasizes clear storytelling, while still being open to the occasional bit of experimentation. This issue doesn't feature Lash doing a dead-on mimicry of indie talent like Chris Ware or Dave Sim, but it does feature the occasional panel seen from outside a window or a splash page broken up by panel borders so that it can be read as one big panel or two storytelling panels with a different emphasis.
Supernatural Law is a delightful read, and it's easy to see why this book has been around for 10 years, as Lash has taken a winner of a high concept and melded it with fascinating character drama and no shortage of exploration of monster culture. The tone of the book is something along the lines of Archie, maybe a little bit too safe, although the subject matter isn't going to reach that younger audience, and I think that this somewhat safe approach might put off a fair number of folks, which is unfortunate. Supernatural Law isn't edgy and in-your-face, but it is a genial, well-crafted and always enjoyable read.
