Writer: Bruce Jones
Pencils: John Watkiss
Company: Vertigo

Deadman is really one of those characters that can either hit or miss with audiences. For me, Boston Brand (the original Deadman) is someone that I looked forward to seeing again. His appearances in Neil Gaiman’s Books of Magic and in Teddy Kristiansen’s issue of Solo made me respect the character for his ability to add some levity to story lines laden with grim and grit. Still, writers have missed the mark with Deadman over the various mini-series he has starred in, especially when they have localized the character amongst the super-hero population. It makes sense that the book found a home at Vertigo, out amongst the darker outcroppings of the DC universe.

The book, one that I was sincerely looking foward to, could have been good but the scientific world where String Theory and parapsychology can answer the meaning of life that Bruce Jones (Incredible Hulk) and John Watkiss (Sandman Mystery Theatre/Batman) have created, isn’t for me. Gone by the way side, is the character of Boston Brand, and with him the mirth that the book so desperately needs. In his stead, we find Brandon Cayce, an airplane pilot who, as the story opens, is plummeting to his death on a commercial 747 heading for London.

I guess my main problem with the issue is the jumbled mess of a story that is presented. Yes, it is dark tale, like a Deadman story should but after that, things seem to unravel. The senseless jumping around through time, recapping bits and chunks of Cayce’s past that supposedly have something to do with the here and now (Why exactly his brother, also a pilot, has killed an entire plane full of people, perhaps?), is just downright confusing. I’m all for the non-linear approach when telling a story. Hell, one of my favorite movies, Pulp Fiction, is told in exactly the same fashion. But where it worked for Tarantino, here in Deadman, the device just makes things feel cold and disjointed.

Watkiss’ art is of course dead-on and he continues to be the fine detail machine that he has always been. Most everything that he’s done, ranging from covers to 100 Bullets to the Vertigo book Trigger, have all been visually appealing to me. Here it’s no different. The shadows and heavy lines adhere to the story and really add some much needed depth.

In the end, despite loving the art, I can’t really see myself picking up the second issue. Maybe in trade it’ll be one of those books I wished that I paid closer attention to, but until then I think I really missed those cheesy red carnival tights and Boston Brand’s pale dead skin.