Midnighter #1 Review: Enter the God Garden
Reading time: 3 minutes
"Spinning out of GRAYSON comes a solo series starring the man who can predict your every move… but no one will be able to predict what he’ll do next!" - Oh, well. I do. Only one issue in, yet it is no mystery.
Midnighter would start by kicking DC’s ass for advertising his second solo title as a Grayson spin-off. Since its creation in 1998, the retired Stormwatch and The Authority superhero could have benefited from a better selling point than “yet another member of the Grayson’s Booty fan club”. To be fair, though, that is probably how young readers discovered the character, and whatever attracts the audience to get on board the Midnighter train is fine by me. Really. I can live with that, and so should old readers, for this series will soon prove just how much we needed it on our shelves.
Let me develop this thought.
Now that the Convergence event is over, the DC You initiative is launching with the idea that there should be a book for everyone. In the case of Midnighter, this otherwise nice statement disturbed me a little.
Like the main character and millions of other people, I am part of the LGBTQ community. Hence my initial concern – will this book be all about Midnighter’s sexuality? Will this detail of his life be what defines his individuality in the new DCU? That would have been boring, and somehow upsetting. But, to my relief, none of it happened. Quite the contrary.
Midnighter, off-costume, is introduced as a (seemingly) normal dude, who just happens to love men. His superpowers aside, he is living a real life. This first issue does a great job tying Midnighter to his humanity – an online dating profile, a first, then second date with a possible love interest, a bit of angst spilled in a pool bar late at night… His sexuality matters little in all of it. Frankly, that’s refreshing.
New readers should not be afraid to pick this issue up. Midnighter’s powers and the concept of the Garden are explained smoothly, without losing time or overloading the pages with text. In addition, the past romantic relationship between Midnighter and fellow Stormwatch and The Authority member Apollo is also summarized efficiently, from its beginning to its end. The dialogues are another strong point of this book. The lingering sorrow Midnighter carries around is cleverly mixed with his wit and explosive personality to produce realistic, relatable and entertaining scenes. The character is as unapologetic as ever, cherishing his freedom without forgetting his responsibilities.
Overall, Steve Orlando’s writing is spot-on. The tone is given, the pace settled, and the art… Ah, the art. We should talk about that.
'A book for everyone' also means 'the right artist for the right title'. Darkseid knows comic book fans are picky. Let’s be honest about that. Sure, for fun, I’d like to see Capullo on some Scooby-Doo title. Fantasies and all. But art is no joke, especially in the case of a new series. Think Jem and the Holograms. Think Descender.
Think ACO and Midnighter – yes, this is a match. Between the nice look given to the characters in and off-costume, the hard work put on the various environments, and the clever use of zoom-in panels to emphasize details or simultaneous actions, the art only adds to the strength of this debut chapter. Kudos also to co-inker Hugo Petrus and colourist Romulo Fajardo Jr. You all rock, buddies.
To wrap this review up, it seems convenient to me to quote Midnighter’s new lover, Jason, while the two are in the middle of their second date: “You’re living in an annex of insane and you don’t even notice it.” And that’s it; that’s the series. It is good writing and great art put together to tell the story of a violent, “crazed, scientifically enhanced” vigilante packed in the body and mind of a highly likeable, witty, somewhat-romantic and definitely strong character. There is nothing not to love. I am looking forward for the next issue, my Grayson’s Booty fan club membership card, and the guest appearance of Grayson (yes) in Midnighter #4. (How the tables have turned…!)
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