DC Universe Halloween Special 2008

October 25, 2008

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Deadline: Halloween and other stories

Your favorite Ghost Detectives take us on a tour of spooky happenings in the DC Universe!

Writers: Dan DiDio, Mike Johnson, Eddie Berganza, Mikey Way, Harvey Richards, Brian Reed, Duncan Rouleau, Brad Desnoyer, Mark Verheiden & Eric Wallace
Pencils: Tony Shasteen, Matthew Clark, Trevor Hairsine, Mateus, Federico Dallocchio, Darick Robertson, Duncan Rouleau, Riccardo Burchielli, Dennis Calero
Inks: Don Ho, Jamie Mendoza, Marlo Alquiza, Norm Rapmund, Kevin Conrad
Colors: Allen Passalaqua, Hi-Fi, Cris Peter, Federico Dallocchio, Trish Mulvihill, Michael Atiyeh, Tony Avina, Dennis Calero, Guy Major
Letters: John J. Hill
Editor: Dan DiDio & Eddie Berganza
Cover Art: Gene Ha
Publisher: DC Comics

I’ll tell your right off the bat the best thing about the DC Universe Halloween Special: the hosts. Everyone favorite Ghost Detectives, Ralph and Sue Dibney, pop in to play Cryptkeeper in this series of Halloween tales from across the DC Universe. I love these two characters and seeing them at all is a major treat for me, so from the first page, I was happy.

After that, the book is like any other anthology – some good stories, some not as good. “Deadline: Halloween” features Clark Kent trying to make a late deadline at the Daily Planet, only to come face-to-face with a predecessor who never quite made it. It’s a cute story, and the punchline at the end is funny.

“Fear of the Dark” is next, and perhaps the best story in the book. As Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner try to bring a little Halloween to Oa, the more Hellish parts of Kyle’s past begin to assault him: the murders of his former girlfriends, the death of his mother, his possession by Parallax and the atrocities he was forced to commit… This is a really strong look into the dark places in Kyle’s heart, and it helps to appreciate what it takes for him to overcome them.

“The Ballad of Jonathan Crane” is a lot of fun – Mikey Way re-casts the Legend of Sleepy Hollow with figures from Batman’s universe. Until the last page, this really has the feel of a lost “Elseworlds” tale, and it’s nice for fans of classic ghost stories. “The Embrace” features Faust in a race to find the soul of a child who seems to have fallen victim to his father, and works as a character piece.

“One Last Halloween” is a riot – two kids who are just reaching that bubble where you get too old for things like trick-or-treating or dressing up wind up with some older, rougher boys… in Gotham City, though, there’s no telling what they may find in a sewer. “Hell Hath No Fury” is a really bizarre story of the Demon that kinda feels like it’s missing something, and “Scarred and Scared” takes us into the depths of Arkham Asylum and the madness that waits there.

Vixen gets a little time to herself in the so-so “Role Model,” and finally, the Dibneys themselves take center stage in “The Elongated Halloween,” in which they set out to solve a murder mystery, a fact made harder by the fact that they are, let’s be honest here, living impaired.

If nothing else, this book has totally convinced me that the Dibneys still have a place in the DCU. Their story worked really well, and they were even fun as hosts. Come on, DC – let’s see the Ghost Detectives miniseries in 2009!

Rating: 7/10