|
THE
WITCHING HOUR
Loeb
and Bachalo churn out the usual Vertigo spooky goings-on.
 Writer:
Jeph Loeb
Artists: Chris Bachalo, Art Thibert
Colorist: Grant Goleash
Letterer: Richard Starkings
3 issue series
Published by DC Vertigo 1999/2000
$5.95 each
Reviewed
by Damon Crumpler
Chris
Bachalo, one of the most visually distinct artists to work for
the Big Two comics companies in the early 90's, disappeared into
Marvel Mutant Hell a few years back, both literally and stylistically.
This seems to be changing of late, and THE WITCHING HOUR
is a case in point. THE WITCHING HOUR marks Bachalo's return
to Vertigo, the place where he made a name for himself on Peter
Milligan's SHADE, THE CHANGING MAN. It's a promising return,
but not a great one.
THE
WITCHING HOUR's premise is interesting enough- a group of
witches in current day America, who are supposedly named for the
colors of the seasons (though I have no idea which season is colored
gray), grant three people wishes in order to try to help them,
while exacting vengeance upon others for various crimes. They
follow the "Wiccan Rede", a code that stipulates that one's actions
towards others come back to oneself threefold. And while they
generally try to do good, they aren't averse to malicious acts,
up to and including causing the deaths of others. Generally, this
type of story is tailor made for the Vertigo imprint.
| "Loeb's dialog is
full of the typical Vertigo mixture of aphorisms and caustic
cynicism" |
So
what went wrong? Mostly, it's the writing. Loeb's dialog, especially
the narration, is quite pleasing, but full of the typical Vertigo
mixture of aphorisms and caustic cynicism. But there is almost
no characterization, and it feels like half of the witches are
there simply to add color in a typical "Vertigo weirdness" way.
Their personas are as blank as the business cards they hand out.
And
not just the witches: the characters they help are also cardboard
cutouts. The plot meanders and jumps all over. There is no overarching
theme or cohesiveness to the story. The "Witching Hour" plays
no real role in the series, it's just a convenient tagline, which
inclines one to conclude there is nothing to the story. However,
as bad as all of that sounds, it is an enjoyable read,
with a definite ending. And even though the story has little depth
and no strong empathic base, it does flow nicely.
This
pleasant flow is partly due to the scripting, but Bachalo's art
is also certainly responsible, definitely the strongest aspect
of the book. He combines a variety of page layouts and panel flows,
from collages to single page panels (usually portraits), to 25-panel
pages. In terms of layout innovation, this story falls in between
his SHADE designs and the DEATH miniseries: not
as wild and fluid as the former, but not as traditionally rigid
as the latter.
The
varying layouts are often used to reinforce different story aspects:
for instance, collages are used mostly in the historical flashback
sequences. The most effective change from conventional designs
lies in the use of halftoning techniques (though whoever did the
computer effects is not specified). Many panels are completely
halftone, while some are mixed with more conventional lined and
inked drawings. The overall effect softens the focus by gradiating
the inking, which in the splash pages creates a more dreamlike
image. Other examples of digital manipulation are present, but
underplayed, and nicely complement the varied look of the book.
| "Bachalo's art is
definitely the strongest aspect of the book" |
Perhaps
the best example of this is in book one, where a portrait is pasted
on the surface of three balloons, faded at the edges, and then
the whole thing is converted to halftone. Another example is in
book three, where reflections in mirrors are skewed for perspective
and then converted into halftones. The device of splitting sentences
up between multiple pages in text outside the frames of the page,
however, is a potentially innovative device but poorly used.
Finally,
I should mention the coloring, which is a real treat. Goleash
leaves many panels and pages in black and white, and only partially
colors others. His mostly muted palette works well with the overall
design, and contributes to the varied styles.
Recommended (with reservations: lightweight, very nice artwork)
Damon
Crumpler is a regular contributor to PopImage.
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