Writer: Joe Kelly
Artists: Chris Bachalo, Richard Friend, Art Thibert
Colorist: Bad@ss
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Single issue
Published by Wildstorm/Cliffhanger 1999
$2.50

Reviewed by Andrew Wheeler

A prologue to the forthcoming creator owned STEAMPUNK series, CATECHISM introduces us to a 19th century London very unlike the one in the history books. This is a "Victorian" city recast as a sprawling Frankenstein's monster, filled with elegant machinery, ornately theatrical architecture, and strange, freakish inhabitants. The slender plot of the piece deals with two graverobbers - the one-winged Skom, and the bear-like Randy - who uncover a giant clock and a glowing sarcophagus beneath a cemetery. The consequences of their discovery do not go unnoticed by Dr Mortimer Absinthe, the man who has ruled the city since midway through the 18th century.

The names of creators Joe Kelly and Chris Bachalo will be familiar to many, in particular readers of the X-books, who must surely account for a large part of this book's target audience. Both men worked concurrently on the two flagship X-MEN books, though both put in better work in separate corners of the X-universe - Kelly in DEADPOOL and Bachalo in GENERATION X. For fans of Kelly's witty, well-crafted plotting and Bachalo's intricate and innovative layouts, the prospect of a creator owned project was mouth-watering. Sadly, neither man is doing anything approaching his best work here.

Partly this could be attributed to the pointlessness of the whole exercise. Publishers are increasingly guilty of churning out largely irrelevant previews, prologues and zero issues. Inevitably the ones with genuine bearing on the plot seem to be sealed up in a bag with the latest edition of WIZARD, while the ones cluttering the shelves are often little more than sketchbooks, and at best just tediously prolonged establishing shots. STEAMPUNK: CATECHISM is definitely an example of the latter.

"Neither man is doing anything approaching his best work here"

Joe Kelly is a writer who thrives on sharp dialogue and perfect story structure, and it is a waste of his talents to see him padding in this way. The cod cockney nonsense spouted by the two graverobbers is a grating experience, and the only literary flourish in the book comes from the plague of faked quotes scattered across the pages, providing a piecemeal history of this alternate London. For the most part, they merely irritate, supplying a catalogue of dark and murky epithets for the city that are not wholly supported by the bright and cartoonish visuals. Indeed, references to Madame LaRapture, the King of Bushwah, and the Queen of Savages, only serve to make one wish this story were about them instead.

Since the script is so below par, one is left to presume this is more a visual experience. Certainly all the evidence points in this direction. It is, after all, a Bachalo book, and he, not Kelly, is credited first on the cover. But it's a long time since Bachalo showed signs of being the genius he was once lauded to be. Some time during his tenure at the Marvel Bullpen, his fine design sense and original flair were sapped and substituted with generic manga aspirations and a robust cartoonishness that could drain even HAMLET of its drama.

The scenario in STEAMPUNK is actually one we have seen before from Bachalo. The trans-human freaks, exotic industrialism and storybook evocations are all reminiscent of the excellent GENERATION NEXT - far and away the best single work to emerge from the entire AGE OF APOCALYPSE experiment. Looking back on that ingenious, elegant pencil work, it seems all the sadder to realise how far Bachalo has fallen. A name which once promised a visual feast is now one that leaves the reader worrying if it's worth the mental calories.

The only visual joys in the book are the bat-winged cat - an inspired and wonderful creation - and its owner Dr Absinthe, who resembles a New Romantic transvestite zombie, and is therefore at least distinctive as a villain. The rest is a mish-mash of incoherent storytelling, incomprehensible sound effects and tired old designs. Hero Cole Blaquesmith looks frighteningly like a dark-haired Cable, and when Chris Bachalo starts emulating Liefeld, you know something is wrong.

"When Bachalo starts emulating Liefeld, you know something's wrong"

Indeed, there is a character called Blaquesmith in CABLE. If one were to speculate wildly, one might suspect that either Bachalo or Kelly actually devised the character long before Marvel began using the name, and was too attached to relinquish it. This in turn would suggest STEAMPUNK is an idea someone has been sitting on for years. An idea arrived at in college, perhaps, which has finally found its outlet.

True or not, the sketches in the back of CATECHISM, and the quotes throughout the book, rather suggest that this story is set in a world that has been thoroughly fleshed out. So thoroughly in fact, that the creators don't realise how little hook they have given the audience in this prologue. When the series itself begins, will the readers be given any better information than they were given here?

STEAMPUNK may yet prove to be an enjoyable series, with two clearly gifted talents attached. But this lightweight piece of profiteering pre-publicity gives no indication that it will be.

Not recommended

Andrew Wheeler is Editorial Consultant of PopImage.

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