I’m not sure how I feel about Jan Duursema inking Mandrake. Somehow the vibrancy of the art is gone; the action scenes feel static. Maybe the best sequence is a car accident, just because of the motion has to be included.
That quibble aside, it’s a genial issue. Batman and Catwoman–she’s a vigilante now, much to Bullock’s chagrin–spend a night on the town. It’s supposed to be romantic, but they end up having to fight crime. Moench doesn’t get the tone deafness of it–they have a cute banter scene, are about to kiss, have to stop and go prevent an incredibly violent rape.
Not cute stuff.
Moench’s trying though, he’s definitely trying. The issue is all one night, so there’s no opportunity to see what he’s doing with Bruce Wayne. Bruce seems downgraded, but who knows.
Good characterizations–Bullock and Catwoman especially.
The comic’s bland and fine.
B-
CREDITS
A Town on the Night; writer, Doug Moench; penciller, Tom Mandrake; inker, Jan Duursema; colorist, Adrienne Roy; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.
It’s a strange issue and should be a better one. Alec, Abby, Chester and their friends go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Alec acting like a regular guy plays really well and the issue seems fun. Jan Duursema’s pencils are straightforward, handling the realistic, fantastical nature of the parades and costumes.
I never thought, reading the issues before this one, I would see cheesecake in Pasko and Yeates’s Swamp Thing run. But this issue isn’t Yeates, it’s Jan Duursema. Duursema handles the art in varying degrees of quality. With Tom Mandrake inking, there are some very iconic Swamp Thing action moments. Duursema and Mandrake make Swamp Thing look even more like Redondo’s rendition in the first series than Yeates ever does. But there’s also a strange approach to people—Duursema likes long shots, with the moving figures looking awkwardly static.