The giant, hulking thing from Hell is probably one of the single most dangerous things in the region. That doesn’t make it look any less ridiculous, though. It’s lipless. It’s got ridiculously large skulls for shoulder pads which can’t possibly be functional in any real way. And what’s with the giant golden capsules around it’s belt? As goofy as the thing looks, Javi is going to have to be cautious around it in Gunslinger #38. Writer Todd McFarlane gets pretty close to delivering a story that is beautifully rendered for the page by Carlo Barberi. Color comes to the page with some beautifully atmospheric effects courtesy of Ivan Nunes. 

By the nature of the thing, it clearly looks like it’s some kind of Hell Spawn. Only thing is: allof the Spawns had lost their powers. So why is THIS thing still walking around looking huge and able to make itself huger? Clearly it has some kind of power that the spawn don’t have. Clearly it’s missing SOMETHING, though--otherwise it wouldn’t need Javi’s help. Only thing is: it doesn’t. It needs information from him. And so long as this thing think he has information, he’s probably going to be fine.

McFarlane has a few interesting ideas that might actually have some kind of potential. Some of those ideas actually kind of make it into the issue with some level of success. The basic relationship betweeen this thing and Javi could be really interesting if it’s handled right. McFarlane seems to actively avoid making it any more interesting than it is on the surface, though. A simple...no powerless mortal is being escorted around by this giant evil thing and he has no idea why. It’s got potential. McFarlane doesn’t really do anything interesting with it, though.

Barberi’s art continues to look like a suitably exaggerated sort of an action horror thing. The size contrast between Javi and the thing that’s following him around really amp-up the casual sense of the supernatural that permeates another well-executed set of visuals. Nunes’ colors once again deliver admirable depth and atmosphere to the page. Light through the canopy on the monster looks beutiful. The radiant green of the eyes hits page and panel in a way that continues to work its distinctive way across the page. It’s an impressive visual package that continues to feel fresh and impressive. It’s too bad the story it’s all delivering doesn’t live up to its potential.

The overall sense of action on the page IS a nice place to build from as the series continues. Artwork has been known to do a pretty  good job of outsmarting a bad script, but McFarlane’s writing proves to be a bit too much of a challenge for a talented group of artists who put together an otherwise entertaining entry into a long-running series. Given the right momentum, the art team could easily work its way around McFarlane’s script. They just have to find the right strattegy. 

Grade: C+