‘DC’s Terrors Through Time #1’ Review
Written by Various | Art by Various | Published by DC Comics
Although the 80-page giants generally have been pretty good, especially the wave of books we had celebrating various character anniversaries, DC of late have struggled a little with the anthology books. I should say it’s not just DC, but as once upon a time they were the masters of the format it is most noticeable with them. The mix of creative teams isn’t the issue either. A blend of known names and up-and-comers was always the way DC’s mystery books operated, and it served them very well. What drew me to this book the most was Paul Levitz writing Phantom Stranger (that alone is worth the entrance price), and Tom Mandrake and Kelley Jones illustrating two tales. Let’s hope the other stories can add some scary fun as well.
The know the score with these books, eight stories by eight different creative teams featuring eight different characters or groups. Let the frights begin…
We start with the headline act, Paul Levitz writing The Phantom Stranger in ‘The Longest Night,’ with art by Raul Fernandez. It’s actually a very low-key story, giving us a potted history of Halloween down the ages, with the Stranger condemned to wander the Earth protecting people on that particular day. Sombre, but classily told.
A complete change of pace and tone comes with The Super Sons in ‘Trick or Treat,’ by Scholly Fisch and Luciano Vecchio. Damian Wayne and Jon Kent (Robin and Superboy, respectively) want to go trick or treating, so swap costumes and off they go. Fortress of Solitude, no one home. BatCave, no one home. Atlantis, Themyscira, no Aquaman or Wonder Woman. Turns out, they are all at the Hall of Justice fighting three demons. All’s well that ends well. By that, I mean treats are found. Funny, entertaining, nice art.
Next, we have the Gotham City Sirens in ‘The Pueo Promise,’ by writer/ artist Peter Nguyen. Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman are vacationing on a tropical island before an angry bird deity targets the cats overrunning the island, angering Catwoman. It’s a well told story with an eco-slant, though it feels as though Nguyen had to compress a bigger story into this limited format. The story and art were nicely done.
Story four sees ‘Swamp Thing’ in ‘Half-Life,’ by Zac Thompson and Andy McDonald, a character tailor made for Halloween. Sadly, not a hint of that in this story. Again, an eco-fable of sorts, it’s ok but a very simple story, simply told.
Story five sees a personal favourite of mine, The Justice Society, in ‘The Midnight Hour,’ by Charles Skaggs and Tom Mandrake. It’s 1944, and the JSA are hunting for an artifact they need to keep out of Hitler’s hands. Such as it ever was, right? In classic style each hero gets to fight their own supernatural foe. Dr Fate, Dr Mid-Nite, Black Canary, Golden Age Atom, Carter Hall Hawkman, and the Golden Age Flash all get their moment to shine. It’s all great fun, told and drawn very well, capturing the spirit of the old JSA tales.
Next up, some Green Lanterns in ‘a New Darkness,’ by Jeremy Haun and Juan Doe. Essentially a supernatural story set in space, the Lanterns come across a demon worshipping cult in a temple and defeating them comes at a heavy price. It’s ok, well told, but nothing really pulled me in as I wanted it too. Not bad though.
Next up is another natural for this book, The Demon Etrigan, in ‘Blood Lost and Found’ by Matthew Levine and Jorge Corona. As you would expect with Etrigan subtlety is in short supply here, as he takes on a demon that has been attacking a nearby village. Set in medieval times, it has a nice pay off 500 years later. Nice story, well told, and nicely illustrated.
The final story in the book features Damian Wayne and Deadman in ‘The Haunting of Wayne Manor,’ by Tim Seeley and Kelley Jones. Deadman is on the trail of a vengeful spirit in Wayne Manor, who he assumes is after Batman. Turns out, he’s the dead spirit of someone killed by Damian. Seeley has fun turning a ghost story on its head, and Jones has fun with the art, being as madly creative as you would hope. The Batman cameo is nice too. Great way to end the book.
Overall, this was a very solid book. Plenty of fun, though a bit light on actual Halloween content. No real chills or scares, just lightly themed stories. My personal favourites were The Phantom Stranger story, the JSA tale, and the Deadman effort, all of which brought a smile to the face and fulfilled the editorial brief
Not much ‘terror,’ but plenty of entertainment.
