Reviewer: Mathan Erhardt
Story Title: Act III
Written by: Jason Hall
Penciled and Inked by: Cliff Chiang
Colored by: Dave Stewart
Lettered by: John Workman
Editor: Will Dennis
Publisher: Vertigo/DC Comics
We begin right after Mathieu Arbogast’s discovers that his son has been kidnapped (The Creeper did it last issue.) Fortunately the baby turns up safely in the arms of Joan of Arc. As a result of the latest attack Madame Arbogast sends Mathieu to Germany, until things cool off. Meanwhile the Creeper’s “street team†covers Paris in posters proclaiming, “Beware the Creeper.†She even makes one last stab at the matriarch of the Arbogast family.
Then Creeper hysteria sweeps Paris. She becomes the most sought person in the city. Women want to be her and the police want to catch her. She even upstages a magician (with a familiar last name) at his own show. After a three month exile in Germany Mathieu returns to Paris looking for Judith (who is still MIA) but finds Madeline. Of course Mathieu tries to vent his temper on her, but Ric saves her. Mathieu goes off to Didi to release some steam, and Ric and Madeline go to the Eiffel tower. There they share a kiss but something keeps them apart. They retire to Victor’s where Ric finally connects Judith to the Creeper. And after Didi’s encounter with Mathieu she knows who is behind attacks on the prostitutes.
Hall is keeping the excellence of this book up. Read the conversation between Madeline and Father Delvaux on page 5. He also does well showing how the Creeper affects Paris. Another example of his gift can be found in Madeline and Ric’s conversation on the Eiffel Tower. The story keeps unfolding at a great pace. I’m really torn. I want to know the whole story, but I don’t want this series to end. That is the mark of a great writer.
The art is amazing. Seriously. This book has one of the best art teams on the market, hands down. DC needs to sign them to an exclusive deal. I defy you to find a team that is as fluid as this one. Check out the colors on page 8, or the pencils on page 6. The lettering perfectly compliments the story. This is visual storytelling at is best.
