I’ve always rather liked Deadman as a character; his original series is an undisputed classic, and nobody who has written him since has really failed to make him interesting. And of course, artist Neal Adams is deservedly a legend in the industry, so a new Deadman miniseries by Adams should be a guaranteed success, right? Well…maybe.
The art on this first issue, as one would expect from Adams, is exceptional, it really could have been published back in 1968! Problem is, the story could also have been written back then, and it shows. The dialogue is overwrought, the action confusing and hard to follow, and newer readers might struggle with the fact that it’s basically a direct follow-up to a story published fifty years ago which expects everyone to be familiar with it.
It’s beautiful to behold, and anyone who has fond memories of the original series will undoubtedly appreciate it, but from a marketing point of view it seems an odd move on DC’s part, and somewhat out of step with the rest of what the company is currently publishing. Is it a brave experiment? Yes. Does it deserve to do well? Undoubtedly. Will it succeed? We’ll just have to wait and see…
Neal Adams (W/A) • DC Comics, $3.99
