Spirit World #6 – Alyssa Wong, Writer; Haining, Artist; Sebastian Cheng, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: After a bit of a delay, we’re finally here at the final issue of this excellent DC series—which I’m hoping might not be the final DC work of Alyssa Wong, as they’ve just launched a big new book with the competition. This title was a great spotlight for both Cassandra Cain and John Constantine, who do take a bit of a backseat in this final issue, but stood out even more for being the full debut and character-setting centerpiece for Xanthe Zhou. This mysterious swordsmaster was a great new wild card for the DCU, matching Constantine scam-for-scam, bonding with Cass over their trauma, and even facing off with their cruel, deadnaming sorcerer of a mother in the series’ most dramatic issue. But now they’re trapped in the Spirit World with their companions, with a vengeful spirit on the loose and an army of powerful spirits willing to take them down with the enemy. Time for one more trick.
Haining’s art has always been a big highlight of this series, bringing the various supernatural creatures to life in vivid and often terrifying fashion. We’ve seen plenty of dark spirits in this series, but this one seems different—animated by pain and rage rather than hatred—and that allows Xanthe to reach out in a way that seems much more reminiscent of the way Superman usually handles conflicts rather than the darker characters Xanthe seems to pal around with. And then, of course, there’s one more issue to resolve—cutting a deal with the spirits that will allow everyone to leave safely. This sets Xanthe up for a major role in the DCU going forward, if editorial and creative decisions allow it to happen. This has been my favorite of the three AAPI-lined titles to launch in recent months, and is an excellent example of just how much of an impact a new character can make in only a few issues.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
