DC has billed “Phantom Stranger” as an important piece of the overall New 52 universe. Plotted by co-publisher Dan Didio, starring a member of the “Trinity of Sin,” the book is sure to play a large role in the upcoming “Trinity War” event. Unfortunately, the Stranger’s solo adventures just haven’t been very good. Does the addition of J.M. DeMatteis, Gene Ha, and Zander Cannon improve the series’ quality?
The answer is yes, if only slightly so.
Written by Dan Didio and J.M. DeMatteis
Illustrated by Gene Ha and Zander Cannon• Welcome guest artists Gene Ha and Zander Cannon!
• Phantom Stranger is sucked into a metaphysical poker game against the three sons of Trigon!
• The stakes of this game couldn’t be any higher thanks to the host: Lady Luck, in her New 52 debut!
The Phantom Stranger continues the search for his missing family, with his intel leading him to the Lucky Devil casino. Didio and DeMatteis attempt to give the Stranger a human grounding through his “Phillip Stark” persona, while still keeping the character quite alien compared to the rest of humanity. This doesn’t work out quite as well as one would hope. While in the casino, the Stranger encounters a lady of the night offering a good time. The Stranger responds quite bluntly, “In other words, you are offering me sex.” While it’s clear the intention is to express the foreign nature of the Stranger, lines like this make the character seem stiff and one-dimensional. The Stranger’s brooding monologue, which is present throughout the issue, extenuates this lack of nuance, making it very hard to care about the Stranger’s predicament and actions.
The story picks up considerably when the Stranger enters a card game with the three sons of Trigon. Like the rest of the issue, this section is full of heavy handed exposition, but the poker element adds a high stakes tension to the proceedings. The sons of Trigon themselves are interesting characters with distinct personalities, contrasting the book’s wooden protagonist. It’s delightful, if slightly formulaic, seeing Phantom Stranger manipulate and overcome each of the demons over the course of the game. Events from earlier issues, such as Stranger’s dealings with Raven, are touched on, though the current plot is moved forward only a little.
As noted in the solicitations, this issue features the debut of a new character, Lady Luck. Luck, first seen in promotional material prior to the launch of the New 52, was at one time set to become a member of the Justice League (according to series writer Geoff Johns). Whether these original plans will come to fruition remains to be seen, as this issue bears no indication of the character’s past or future. Lady Luck’s presence is extremely limited, appearing as the nondescript female dealer in the supernatural poker game. In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that the solicitation calls attention to the character, she would probably go entirely unnoticed by most readers. The fact that attention is called, however, puts her on readers’ radar, and it’s likely this appearance will be the first of many.
The most obvious draw of this issue is the art by Gene Ha. Assisted by Zander Cannon, who handles layouts for the issue, Ha goes a long way towards making this book a quality read. Ha’s characters are extremely expressive, although most seem to have alternating expressions of either fear or disgust. Ha packs a ton of detail into the Lucky Devil casino for the few pages it’s featured, but like the story, his art is at its best in the poker game segment. Colorist Art Lyon utilizes separate color palettes to differentiate between the parts of the story, casting the casino in golds and shadowy blues, and the demon’s realm in reds and purples. Ha makes a great use of perspective as the players tumble through the Escher-esque pocket dimension. Though the sons of Trigon have similar appearances, Ha does a fairly good job at giving each character distinct features that make them easier to identify. Ha keeps the reader involved in the poker game by displaying each character’s hand beside their heads, as well as indicating who is in possession of the leading hand as the game progresses. It’s a neat visual cue that saves what could have been a very confusing segment.
Taken as a whole, “Phantom Stranger” remains a disappointment. Although the art is the best its been since the series started, the Stranger’s characterization leaves much to be desired. In past DC continuity, the Phantom Stranger was an enigmatic being full of otherworldly knowledge. Here, all mystery is stripped from the character, and he is as fallible as any mere mortal. The attempt at humanizing the Stranger has instead stripped him of all the core aspects that made him interesting.
Final Verdict: 4.8 – Browse. Strong art and a fun game of “Hades Hold-Em” saves this book from being a total let down, but there’s still much to be desired from this once strong concept.
