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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (**** stars)
BEWARE THE CREEPER #1 (of 5),
a
DC/VERTIGO mini-series
CREDITS:
Written by Jason Hall. Art by Cliff Chiang.
SYNOPSIS: The Creeper returns, well not the Creeper we knew and
semi-loved but another one that existed in Paris after WW1. You remember
her, right? You don't, do you? Man, DC's really going to have to push
this to get it to sell, aren't they?
RELEASED:
04/16/03
COVER PRICE: $2.95
YOUR ALTERNATE REALITY PRICE:
$2.51
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"...This is the kind
of mini that creates fan interest slow then catches on
a few issues before it concludes only to become
unavailable until it's traded" |
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Review
by
Lawrence Evans
When
DC announced a new Creeper mini-series was coming we all assumed
we'd be seeing the Steve Ditko version, reporter Jack Ryder.
Then we discovered that this was a new Creeper and she lived in
1920's Paris after the First World War. Jason Hall (creator of
the Indy title Pistolwhip) and a guy that has been slowly making
a name for himself, Cliff Chiang were named the team on the
mini. Both of them have been talking to the fan press in order
to relax those upset about the bait and switch but when this
book ships this Wednesday I expect most of the customers to
glance at this then pass. Those folks are missing out on my pick
for Book of the Week.
Hall spends the early part of this first issue introducing the
characters and setting the mood. We meet a prostitute who gets
the kind of customer she doesn't want, the violent type. Hall
then introduces us to the almost but not yet Creeper and her
sister who have very interesting dreams before arguing over
their concepts of life.
The next member of the cast that we meet is Inspector Allain,
who isn't averse to dealing with ladies of the evening even
though he is involved with Judith, one of the sisters. He tries
to help the battered prostitute but can't and ends up busting a
party held by starving and boistrous artists. We also meet the
villain of the piece, Mathieu Arbogast who from the start comes
off as nothing but trouble.
Hall's party starts a lot of balls in motion and when Judith
arrives home one of them contains a sexual assault. Her battered
body is discovered by her sister, Madeline and the next thing we
know a scarily dressed female is laughing her ass off as she
stalks the rooftops of Paris.
Beware is another of those revamps of a character that makes it
more interesting than the original. Vertigo has done it before
with Jonny Double, the Human Target and even Congo Bill. Hall's
story is full of life and subtle weirdness while Chiang's
pencils are bleak, sparse and evocative all at the same time.
This is the kind of mini that creates fan interest slow then
catches on a few issues before it concludes only to become
unavailable until it's traded. |
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BEWARE THE CREEPER is © 2003 DC
COMICS.
All Rights Reserved. |
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Review ©
2003 Alternate Reality, Inc. |
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