2003-11-09 an excellent book but not the best in the series

The only real let down in the graphic novel is the artwork, both on reproduced covers and interiors: the book cover itself is excellent- one or two of the reproduced covers inside are quite good but no where near as evocative as those in previous volumes. The illustrations by Leandro Fernandez appear adequate at first glance, but not very evocative. Read in conjunction with the story their quality is vastly better, in particular some of the Absorbing Man's grotesque transformations, but on the whole the atmospheric use of light and shade by artists in previous volumes isn't there, albeit in a limited form. The use of colour is a little too garish: gone are the subtle pastel tones of the previous volumes and in are some reasonably basic primaries and secondaries. Again this is adequate but doesn't enhance the story atmosphere particularly. The art certainly isn't bad, but really doesn't match the dark atmosphere of the prior books. That said it is nice to see so many regular changes of artist in a book: providing a lot of variety.

Overall this book is worth buying and reading, although at present it doesn't appear to contribute much to the huge `clandestine organization' story arc that has dominated the series so far. An enjoyable and grim, imaginitive tale let down by more traditional artwork than has been seen so far in the series, well worth a look though.