Review: Xombi #1

Xombi #1

Written by John Rozum
Art by Frazier Irving
Letters by Dave Sharpe
Published by DC Entertainment

For one reason or another I never got onboard with the Milestone line of comics that debuted in the nineties. Not really sure why, but perhaps I was just too focused on the more mainstream Marvel and DC universes. But whatever it was, I’ve come to regret that in recent days, particularly with the passing last month of Milestone creator Dwayne McDuffie. I really need to make the effort to track down some of those titles, things like Static and Hardware.

One series that I fortunately won’t have to look too hard to find is Xombi, which makes its triumphant return to the racks this month with a brand new #1, now under the DC Comics banner. Original writer John Rozum is still manning the wheel, now joined by the incomparable Frazer Irving on art.

Having absolutely no idea what went before, this issue serves as a perfect jumping on point. David Kim, the “xombi” of the title, was a scientist who developed a nanotech virus which has rendered him basically immortal. He doesn’t age, he doesn’t eat, he doesn’t… well, do what you do when you DO eat. And now he finds himself in touch with the world of shadows that runs just under the surface of our own, whether he likes it or not. The opening pages of the book hint at some truly crazy, and intriguing, supernatural events and agencies: paintings in a museum attacking each other; Count Orlock disappearing from a midnight screening of Nosferatu; an occult organization called A Parada Assustadora, The Startling Parade. And David is set on a mysterious quest by a fistful of talking coins, aided by a couple of super-powered nuns and a glowing Catholic schoolgirl.

Irving’s art is luscious, gorgeous… moist. And I mean that in the best possible way. I’m not familiar with the way he works, or what tools or methods he uses, but the pages look almost airbrushed. Recurring and faintly disturbing shades of pink and blue permeate. The pacing and panel layouts are smooth, with a couple of full-page “panels” using multiple images of characters to convey motion and the passage of time.

So. From what I can tell, Xombi is going to be an eerie and fun mix of supernatural, weird science and theology. Though I haven’t yet watched Fringe, I suspect fans of that series will find this title interesting. For myself, I’m hooked.

4 Wattles – Worth Gobbling