Deadman #6 // Review

Deadman Issue #6, written, illustrated, and colored by Neal Adams, wraps the the mini-series that follows Boston Brand and his quest to find out why he was killed. The story started out with Boston getting murdered, but, instead of passing on to an afterlife, he remained as a specter. So with his new form, Deadman, and his new powers, Boston seeks out his murderer, the fate of his brother and sister, and learns of a dark family secret that connects everything to Nanda Parbat and Ra’s Al Ghul.

Previously, the story had brought Zatanna, Taj-Ze, Dr. Fate, Etrigan, and Spectre with Deadman, and, together, they fought the forces protecting Nanda Parbat to gain entrance. It was something unexpected when everyone who’s considered to be alive is consumed with overwhelming with joy and laughter. Even Etrigan was affected. And with being a demon, joy isn’t an emotion they should feel at those levels, so he starts to literally tear at himself while claiming he doesn’t belong here, forcing the Spectre’s hand to take him elsewhere.

The issue focuses on a conversation between Deadman, Rama, and Titsanda as everything is finally laid out on the table. Boston asks the burning questions he’s had since the start of his journey. But the heated discussion gets derailed when Boston is offered to return back to the land of the living with his old life back.

The art was phenomenal, something you would expect from Neal Adams. There were moments where the panels seemed like something out of an issue from the seventies. His detail to background and characters were exquisite, especially when a two page dragon becomes a centerfold. The colors were broad, prominent, and pleasing to look at. The art makes you want to slow down and take it all in.

This story showed great promise as it brought together characters who are familiar with each other onto a quest with an ending destination that is rather unusual for a group that focuses on the supernatural side of DC. However, it seemed poorly executed. The story kept adding in twists and information that didn’t really seem relevant or necessary at all. Neal Adams has been with the comic company for a long time, and it felt like something of his lesser work, writing wise. The dialogue was overzealous and, simultaneously, boring, and, when presented with an ending to the mini-series, all that was given was just a long conversation that ran around in circles and ended nowhere.

Overall, this issue just read like something of a bad sitcom. The characters felt like shadows of themselves, and, again, the dialogue didn’t seem fitting. Deadman is a character who doesn’t get to see an awful lot of action when compared to plenty of other superheroes, so it’s nice to get a mini-series whenever we can, but when the series comes to an end, it should actually end. As Boston’s race closes in on the finish line, vast amount of questions are still left lingering, like what’s going on and what’s going to happen with everyone, which just isn’t a satisfying way to put down a series of comic books.

Grade C-