DCU Comic Book Reviews

SHADOWPACT #19

Part Three Of Darkness and Light:  Reversals

January 2008

Written by Matthew Sturges

Pencils by Phil Winslade

Inks by Phil Winslade

Cover by Phil Winslade

Synopsis

In the Oblivion Bar, Enchantress uses a scrying dish to locate Nightmaster, Ragman, and Nightshade.  Before she can find them, however, she is interrupted by a message from Laura Fell.  The note states she is being held captive.  Detective Chimp smells a trap.  Enchantress suggests that spring it.  In Gotham City, Doctor Gotham is trying to talk some sense into his protégé Devon.  At that moment, Shadowpact arrives.  Doctor Gotham fights them off.  When Enchantress tries to rescue Laura, the Warlock’s Daughter attacks her.  Laura is then joined by the dozen or more other women who are under Devon’s spell.  At first Doctor Gotham is impressed, but then Laura and the women turn on him.  Angry at the betrayal, Doctor Gotham destroys Devon and then disappears.  In the Nightshade Dimension, the rest of Shadowpact find a city bathed in light from above.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

“Look at that!  A monkey punched my dad!”

I liked this issue, if not for the abrupt ending.  Perhaps Sturges had to cut the ending by a couple of pages when he realized he wanted the teaser for next issue at the end of this issue.  Or maybe this was a four part story rather than a three-parter, but Sturges edited it down to three issues for the trade paperback (assuming the next three issues will comprise the next “story” and thus fill out the six issues of a typical trade).  Or maybe I am just jaded.  Regardless, Doctor Gotham’s sudden brutal (and too violent) killing of Devon just happened way too quickly.  That is not to say it was the wrong ending; it was the right way to go, it just seemed to happen rather quickly. 

I kept waiting for the twist, for that moment when Enchantress would reveal her big plan to spring the trap she set for the trap that had been set for them.  But it never happened.  When they first get the note, Enchantress complains that it must be a trap and when they get there they will be attacked by mutant lobsters.  So, they get there and they are attacked by Doctor Gotham.  All right, it may not be mutant lobsters, but it still seems like Shadowpact walked right into the trap. 

I appreciate the fact that Willingham and now Sturges seem intent on writing a continuous arc since the beginning of the series (when the Doctor Gotham story essentially began), but at some point they need to actually end it.  It is getting a little tiresome to see Shadowpact get into a confrontation with Doctor Gotham only to have him run away at the end, so they can fight another day.  Even if the writers are setting up Doctor Gotham as the ultimate Shadowpact nemesis they need to keep in mind that even Superman defeats and captures Lex Luthor once and awhile. 

It was a nice touch to see Midnight Rider back with Shadowpact, even more so since Sturges didn’t make a big deal of his appearance, nor did he feel the need to explain why he was there to the readers.  Long time readers will appreciate the nod to continuity of only a few issues ago, while newer readers will probably not even recognize him.  At least he is on the cover.

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