Batton Lash has earned a reputation for bringing the funny and for representing lawyers in a believable fashion, but what really got my attention here was another of his talents, the ability to tell topical stories. While the topics he chooses are often niche-related (Dave Sim's famous personality and comics, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and just as often a little dated (this issue relates to a case that happened over a year ago), it's this clever exploration of real world happenings and pop culture in a fantastic realm that makes Supernatural Law so enjoyable, as much as it is the soap opera between characters. One glance at the cover will tell you that this is the "Stephen King" issue. What it won't tell you is the many twists and turns, some related to past stories and some new, that the story will take.
Stephen King's accident (well, assault might be a better term) was a strange and horrific thing, like something out of his novels, and there's certainly plenty of story material there. Lash takes it in an unusual direction, though, exploring the author's crisis through dream logic and spiritual foes in a way that brings it right into the realm of Wolff & Byrd. I was particularly impressed with the way Lash handles dreams and dream logic, as some things happen that are shrouded in psychological clues and require interpretation, and many things happen that are linked to a certain type of dream, whether it's dreams of frustration or, as Byrd believes at one point, one of those dreams.
I was also impressed with how Lash uses a shift in storytelling technique to indicate the shift between the dream world and the real world. The illustrated text format, used heavily by Will Eisner and inspired by EC artist Johnny Craig (according to Lash's frontispiece notes), is done very well, and shows off Lash's strong draftmanship as well as setting the dream sequence stories aside from the rest of the story. The shifts are never awkward, unless it's meant to indicate a sudden awakening, and the strange word games and half-clues that dominate the dream sequence are right in keeping with the ephemeral nature of dreams, keeping the reader guessing just as they keep the dreamers guessing.
While I appreciated the examination of Stephen King's case as well as his books, a loving little tribute to a well-known author who commonly works in the realm that Wolff & Byrd defend, I also enjoyed that Lash doesn't let the ongoing soap opera of the characters drop for this issue. Indeed, he continues his exploration through the use of the dreams, as Alanna once again finds herself in trouble with the Associates of Portia or we revisit Byrd's troubled and seemingly doomed relationship with Dawn Devine. There's also a lovely use of Mavis, showing off her smarts, and a clever and funny ending playing off the joke of high lawyer bills.
Supernatural Law varies in appeal for me, but this one hit it just about right on the nose. Recognizable pop culture, a balance between humor and mystery and plenty of characterization, not to mention fantastically well-rendered artwork, made this issue a winner.
