OK, you caught me... I'm one of those "wait for the trade" guys. I read the first few issues of 21 Down, but while I found it intriguing, I soon realized that I'd rather read it in larger chunks, when I could judge it more accurately and probably enjoy it more. Now, on the cusp of a mature readers relaunch, Wildstorm has published a trade paperback collecting the first seven issues of this unusual super-hero/conspiracy/horror book, and indeed, this larger chunk of story does pull me in pretty effectively. Saiz's artwork is as beautiful as I remembered it being, and Palmiotti and Gray do a terrific job of making their characters feel real and human, all the better to do horrible (and yet horribly interesting) things to them in the service of keeping the readers' interest and stirring up a fascinating mystery.
If you wanted to make comparisons for 21 Down, the easiest place to look is at the cerebral examinations of the paranormal in cinema. The haunting, ugly side of super-powers seen in Unbreakable, the seedy underbelly of urban life seen in Seven and the character interaction of a well-developed indie film project are the closest comparisons to the feel that 21 Down has. The lead character, Preston, has a power that is not really cut out for the big budget film type of thing, but it's perfect for a sort of low-level angst and horror, and the same is true of the other super-powered people we meet in these pages, both of whom have a variation of the always-terrifying notion of mind control, coupled with a sociopathic or psychopathic personality.
21 Down starts in the middle, as we don't see where Preston gets his powers or his curse, and while this made for a strong introduction in the single issues, I did feel that it was a bit of a weakness as well in trade form. We are immediately immersed in Preston's life, and it's not the greatest thing in the world. His brother uses him to get promotions as a cop, the visions of death that he gets are beginning to wear on him, and he knows full well that he only has one year to live, which is screwing up his psyche something fierce.
The downside is, we never really do see much of the history, as Garth Ennis notes in his introduction to the collection. It wasn't until very late in the game that I figured out that the opening shot of Preston giving a tattoo and blacking out wasn't when he first got his powers, but in fact he had used them from a much younger age. It wasn't until the very last page that we learn enough about Mickey Rinaldi to make her more than just a femme fatale who is leading Preston around by the... er... nose (or perhaps another body part) for her own enigmatic reasons. Of course, despite what feels like some overly lengthy mysteries, 21 Down and its characters did keep my interest throughout.
That's a tribute to the strongest element of the book other than its haunting, indie flick cinematic style. Mickey Rinaldi's sexy flirtation with Preston makes it easy to see why he would go along with her, while still playing her as an intelligent woman who knows how to use all her skills and assets, and the last page revelation about why she's doing all this puts a twist that makes me very anxious to see more of her in volume two. Preston Kills, meanwhile, struggles with his powers, his relationships and his role in life, and I was very impressed that Gray and Palmiotti make Preston likable and even heroic despite his beleaguered attitude. Likewise, the people who surround Preston, including his brother, a mysterious older man who seems to harbor some important secrets and a gay couple that seem like the most supportive friends you could ask for, flesh out the supporting cast nicely. Gray and Palmiotti do a good job of writing realistic people in unrealistic situations, and that grounded tone is a big part of why 21 Down succeeds.
Then there are the less grounded, more creepy and supernatural parts of the book. The boredom of Harmony Peterson, bordering on the sociopathic as we see her reactions to the chaos left in her wake, is chilling, and serves as a dark mirror of the sort of thing Preston could have become. Even more dark, and truly frightening, is the villain of this first arc, whose background hits on some current social hot topics and whose actions are right out of a suspense story, with some gory horror elements added in the background and a gut-wrenching (and surprising) personal price that Preston has to pay to defeat him.
Of course, this kind of tone can't work if you have an artist who would rather be doing the Avengers, and Jesus Saiz is important to the book because he knows how to keep things real. Particularly strong are the scenes where there's little going on but interaction between two people, such as the dialogue between Preston and Clyde in the tattoo parlor. And Paul Mounts does a fantastic job on the color, doing that balancing act I have such respect for in keeping things dark without muddying up the artwork. I was also very impressed with how Saiz and Palmiotti say volumes about the characters without any dialogue, especially in the way that Harmony reacts to the effects of her powers, the nuanced, intelligent sex appeal of Mickey or the troubled countenance that defines Preston.
A mix of conspiracy, horror and super-powers results in a fresh and unusual take on the super-hero genre, with as much in common with crime and espionage as it has with the tights and capes crowd. 21 Down was the one title selected out of Wildstorm's non-mature relaunches to join the more successful (and thoroughly enjoyable) mature readers line "Eye of the Storm," and one read of this trade will show that it deserves to rest in the company of fresh post-super-hero fiction like Sleeper, Stormwatch: Team Achilles and Wildcats.
