Mooney has some real problems with faces. They’re way, way too static. He’s usually strong with detail and body language–though the double-page spreads recounting super spy behavior (with only the “hero” wearing a mask so it really is just him being a dork) are overkill.
Not a lot happens in the issue. The sheriff deals with the hiker. The teenage girls wonder what’s going on; turns out one of their mom’s is a former spy with a history with the sheriff. And knows what’s going on in the town. And is more in charge than the sheriff.
There are a couple surprises, with the second one being what seems to be a big ol’ twist, and Higgins handles it all quite well. The comic would read better if Mooney could do the talking heads without the characters overacting, but Dead Hand still has a strong hook to keep interest.
The way the issue ends, however, gives no clue as to where the book is going, which is fine… just strange given it’s a limited. Kind of a soft boot.
Mooney has some real problems with faces. They’re way, way too static. He’s usually strong with detail and body language–though the double-page spreads recounting super spy behavior (with only the “hero” wearing a mask so it really is just him being a dork) are overkill.
Writer Kyle Higgins likes his big concepts. The Dead Hand has a big concept, though that concept isn’t entirely clear yet. In fact, Higgins does some slight of hand to distract from things–though he forecasts the twist just before revealing it, a little too much of the hand showing. Most of the issue is some “rah rah” nonsense with an American CIA agent.
Three big things happen this issue. One is the semi-hard cliffhanger, another is the conclusion to the mystery, and the last is Eduardo Ferigato’s continued art assists. Ferigato, whatever he does, is a perfect pair for Reis. Hadrian’s Wall has always had excellent art, but Reis and Ferigato together give it a somewhat different look. Frizzy lines. It changes the energy of the book, just as Higgins and Siegel’s script changes up too. The pacing is different, more intense; the characters now have to synthesize to respond to the new situations. The book might just end a lot better than originally forecasted. One to go.
And another surprising turn of events. Higgins and Siegel were holding out, setting up a soap opera crime melodrama when they really had something else. The flashbacks are now slightly annoying, only because they feel like backstory Higgins and Siegel are doing out of obligation rather than dramatic gristle. They’re explanations of events discussed multiple times in exposition; exposition could’ve gotten the “truth” across as well. Reis has some help on the art–Eduardo Ferigato–and I’m curious where Ferigato came in. There’s some talking heads stuff and it’s okay, but it’s far from dynamic. Though Reis never does lengthy talking heads particularly well. But Hadrian’s Wall still has some surprises in store. It’s a good series. Higgins and Siegel might be in the victory lap with two to go.