Dynamite’s ‘Gold Key’ revival has gone well so far, garnering positive reviews from our site for “Magnus: Robot Fighter” and “Solar, Man of the Atom”, respectively. How does “Doctor Spektor” fare? Read our spoiler-free review to find out.
Written by Mark Waid
Illustrated by Neil EdwardsTV Legend. Wall Street Wolf. Internet Mogul. Tabloid Bad Boy. Master Metaphysicist. Spiritualist. Monster Hunter. Doctor Adam Spektor is all of these things… and less.
For fifteen years, Spektor has traveled the globe to smoke out and defeat werewolves, vampires, ghosts and everything else that goes bump in the night. Yet his success has brought him no peace… some part of him is missing; something he needs but can’t name.
But he’s about to find what’s missing… in an unlikely place… unlock another piece of the Gold Key universe, courtesy of Mark Waid (Daredevil, Indestructible Hulk) and Neil Edwards (X-Factor)!
Mark Waid attempts to pump some life into the “Doctor Spektor” property by doing what a lot of relaunches try to do: modernize the character. Here, Adam Spektor is the brash central figure of a supernatural reality television series. Think Ghost Adventures or, you know, “Hoax Hunters.” Imagine if John Constantine would ever remotely agree to be filmed. Spektor is not a likable guy, but he doesn’t have to be — he just has to be interesting. As the issue plays out, one wonders if Spektor is too much the jerk for us to want to follow his adventures.
Another problem is that “Doctor Spektor – Master of the Occult” doesn’t do much to escape comparisons to other properties. Spektor doesn’t have the grit and charm of “Hellblazer”, the commitment to its subject matter that Brandon Seifert’s “Witch Doctor” possesses, or the feeling of mythology that “Hoax Hunters” had, even early on. It’s only one issue, but it’s an issue that resembles its listless title character a little too much. There’s some interesting stuff in the issue, but no real anchor. We learn little to nothing about Spektor’s colleagues, despite the time we spend with them, which in turn makes his character both an enigma and the only personality we can truly identify.
That’s not to say that the book isn’t worth your time. Spektor’s opening battle with a vampire is fun, though more for his dramatic and television-friendly “performance” of an actual vanquishing than anything else. Otherwise, this is your typical first-issue establishing sequence that shows you what the “average day” of an occultist looks like. There is also a very effective piece in the middle of the issue that shows how Spektor handles his successes (hint: not very well). This turns out to be a rather emotionally affective part, thanks to both the careful touch of Mark Waid and the best looking sequence in the issue on the part of Neil Edwards.
Just like the plot of the issue, Neil Edwards’ art hits highs and lows throughout. His opening sequence is entertaining, as a vampire battle plays out that you could easily imagine being entertaining on television – even despite vampires not showing up on camera. There are a few clever panels that utilize some interesting perspective work to surprise the reader throughout. After the dust settles, the aforementioned emotional payoff works surprisingly well, thanks to Edwards’ subtle take on what Spektor is going through. Edwards’ art is going for something fairly realistic in its depictions of the characters, with pretty detailed and nuanced facial work. This works beautifully in a sequence in which we’re supposed to sympathize with Spektor.
Unfortunately, the issue loses control in its final sequence, wherein Spektor takes on another occult foe. There is a grave series of events that plays out at the end that results in tragedy on the set of Spektor’s TV show. However, the events don’t play out particularly clearly, and even when you realize where every player stands at the end of the issue, it just ends up feeling like it didn’t play out very smoothly or elegantly. Things and people appear and disappear. Things explode. Someone’s arm gets seriously injured, and then it doesn’t appear to be at all. “Doctor Spektor” #1 doesn’t so much ramp up the stakes or build to its conclusion so much as it throws a lot of stuff at the wall in the final pages and doesn’t do it gracefully.
“Doctor Spektor” #1 deserves a browse on the strength and goodwill of its creative team, but there are a lot of books, both past and present, that hit all of these exact notes and do a better job of it. Mark Waid is a relaunch guru, but a lot of his typically “money” sequences that are fit for first issues just don’t hit home here. Neil Edwards is a talented artist to boot, but both the plot and the art really lose themselves in the issue’s second half. Going forward, “Doctor Spektor” would benefit from a little more clarity of a vision and more personality.
Final Verdict: 5.9 – Browse
