REVIEW: Xombi #1

Last week saw the relaunch of DC’s Xombi series with a new #1 issue by writer John Rozum and artist Frazer Irving. The debut issue has been getting positive attention from a number of outlets, but it was an MLD reader request that got us to take a closer look at the book. It’s not something either of us would have normally picked up, but I think it’s fair to say we both enjoyed it.

Spoilers for the issue will follow.

KevinMLD: Xombi is a character that I don’t have much previous exposure to. I know he was created as part of DC’s Milestone line in the mid ’90s by the writer of the current relaunch of the character, John Rozum.

PTB: I don’t recall the old Milestone title, but that’s not so surprising since I don’t really follow a lot of DC’s publishing line. You’d think putting an X in the title would have caught more of my attention. Does being a former Milestone book mean it’s not part of the regular DC Universe? I know they merged a lot of the imprints at one point, but I’m not sure if Milestone was part of that.

KevinMLD: DC announced that the Milestone characters were being integrated into the DCU proper a few years ago. They haven’t done much with them since then however. The new Static and Xombi titles may be their most high profile moves to date.

Xombi #1 opens up by establishing that all is not right with the world. The first few pages set the mood by showing instances of supernatural weirdness that are occurring worldwide including chickens experiencing live births and Nosferatu escaping from a screening of the classic film to attack a member of the audience. What I like most about these pages, however, is the art of Frazer Irving.

Irving is an artist who has done some really nice work in recent years with Grant Morrison on both Klarion the Witch Boy and Batman and Robin. In fact his success at translating Morrison’s weirdness may have made him an obvious choice for this title.

PTB: There’s definitely a lot of weirdness here as well. The artwork is really nice in this book, and the coloring is what really stands out to me. It’s not really full color at any point, but the color wash style and palette give it an air of creepiness that shifts from scene to scene. It’s certainly not something I’d expect to see in a traditional super hero book.

KevinMLD: If you like Irving’s work here, I’d definitely recommend the Klarion miniseries. It has a very similar feel to Xombi including the coloring. I really enjoyed that and have become a big Klarion fan in the aftermath. Here’s hoping Mattel releases a figure of him in their Young Justice line as he’s appeared on the series as a villain.

Rozum does a good enough job of getting new readers (such as us) caught up a bit on David Kim or Xombi’s powers and his supporting cast before sending him off on a mission. Xombi is tasked with ensuring that a prisoner held in a secret underground prison does not escape. Kim is teamed with a group of superpowered nuns on the mission, which quickly proves futile as the prisoner has already escaped.

PTB: I definitely felt informed on the back story, but some of the exposition about the nature of Xombi and the nuns’ abilities read a little too much like a handbook entry and didn’t always fit with the rest of the book’s narrative style. It’s a minor complaint though as this is picking up on an existing story from year’s ago and what’s there works.

KevinMLD: So far so good. The story is full of compelling character bits and just plain intrigue. It’s when the action kicks in that the book started to lose me.

Xombi and the nuns are besieged by evil Snow Angels. One look at a Snow Angel apparently results in the viewer’s death, which forces Xombi to battle them with his eyes covered. Somewhere between this fight and the end of the issue, either the art or the writing failed me because I have no idea what happened on the last few pages. Xombi injures his hand and before you know it evil trick or treaters show up.

Where did they come from? I have no idea. But Irving sure makes them look cool.

PTB: There were a lot of cool concepts in play here, but some aspect of the execution does fall apart. It’s like there’s a page or a panel missing. My interpretation is that these strange creatures are invading/escaping the prison starting with the Snow Angels and followed by the Lost Trick or Treaters. I have no idea why people die if they look at the Snow Angels or how they damage Xombi, but it seemed like a lot going on to immediately follow up with another group of enemies. They did look awesome though and the prospect of seeing more of them might be enough to get me back for issue #2.

KevinMLD: Agreed. I wouldn’t characterize the book as a home run, but I’ll be back for at least another issue.

P.S. How come Irving is listed as Fraser on the cover and Frazer on the inside? Where’s the editor?