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SANDMAN PRESENTS: THE CORINTHIAN #1
Recommended (7/10)
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DC Comics/Vertigo imprint
Writer: Darko Macan
Artist: Danijel Zezelj
Colors: Sherilyn Van Valkenburgh & Jamison
Letters: John Costanza
Editor: Shelly Bond
Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN |
I have never been a huge fan of Zezelj's artwork, Macan's stuff is extremely hit or miss for me and I'm growing as weary as everyone else of all the various Sandman spinoffs. So I'm quite surprised to find myself enjoying The Corinthian so far on any level. It's a
creepy horror movie with some interesting mystery elements, and I can't quite
tell if it's far removed from human existence or if some of the players have
heavy delusions. That confusion may come as a result of some weak storytelling
or it may be intentional, and that's the key point that will decide my opinion
about the story when it's finished.
Macan sets the mood with his
dialogue and a very chilling portrayal of the Corinthian. He's a little too
suave and charming for my taste, as I remember him more as a monster from
Gaiman's portrayal, but I did enjoy the opening scene that sees him tormenting a
young couple on the train. A similar establishing of character comes for Charles
and Coco, who may be rich humans with some strange psychological disorders or
may in fact be personifications of War and Pestilence. I'm honestly not sure
which, although I think at this point that confusion is intentional.
One of the classic tricks of using a horror antagonist as a protagonist instead is to set up villains who are worse in every way than they are. Much as with the movie Hannibal (flawed as it may be), The Corinthian is a story where the protagonist is a
vicious serial killer because the antagonists are corrupt and wasteful murderers
themselves, and the society they all exist in is deeply flawed. I confess that I
would have liked to have seen a bit more of the dark side of the Corinthian,
evidence that he is a murderer and monster and not just an expert in
psychological warfare.
My appreciation of Zezelj's
art is decidedly mixed. I can't deny that his work is atmospheric, setting the
horrific tone that the creators are going for. However, at the same time, his
people all look far too much alike, and I often can't tell one from the other.
There's also very little expression in his characters, no body language or
facial expressions to help define them. The dialogue has to work extra hard in a
Zezelj story.
However, Macan and Zezelj have
produced a very entertaining first issue that sets up all the pieces for the
series. We have the sense of history between the Corinthian and Charles, the
possibilities of betrayal and jealousy between Amedeo, Silvana and the Contessa
and the implications that murder, war and pestilence are all involved in this
story somehow. The question before us is whether or not the creators can raise
the stakes beyond the simple but intriguing premise they have provided or if
they'll deliver a somewhat predictable end to all of this.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review. |
