: Ray Fawkes Written by













Price: $2.99





"Millions will die tonight...if we are not strong."









The dark side of the DC Universe. The supernatural side. The straight up freaky side. These sides are represented perfectly in this book. And who better to illustrate these pages than Ben Templesmith? I'm afraid this review is going to turn into a Templesmith fanboy session, but the guy is absolutely phenomenal. His style fits almost too perfectly with the story being concocted by Ray Fawkes, who has been on a roll lately. His work on Batman Eternal and Constantine have really solidified him, at least in my opinion, as one of the most creative people in the business right now.

















Jim Corrigan has a secret. An extremely potent and powerful secret. One his team, the Midnight Shift, has been kept in the dark about, until now. He can contain it no longer! When a menacing entity named Ikkondrid comes to Gotham City seeking retribution, there's only one thing that can stand in it's way...The Spectre!

















But this salvation comes with a heavy price. The Spectre operates divinely, and Gotham is full of sin. Did Ikkondrid appear in Gotham to destroy it himself, or to act as a catalyst to bring forth the Spectre and let him do the dirty work? Corrigan has a battle of his own. Can he shut down the Spectre, or will Gotham fall?





Oh, and how silly of me, what would a nightmarish catastrophe in Gotham be without Batman blasting onto the scene?!













Now, I said I didn't want this to turn into a Ben Templesmith lovefest, but I think I lied about that. There isn't anything he does that I won't read. His writing is eerie, hair-raising and twisted, which meshes with his art in ways I've rarely seen. I'm sure Gotham feels like home to him. Mr. Templesmith recently had a Kickstarter (which I pledged for) to fund a re-imagining of H.P. Lovecraft's short story Dagon, and I suggest supporting it if that's still an option.





Get the book, guys. Hell, start from issue #1. This series is relatively new and there's still plenty of time to jump on this roller coaster and enjoy the ride. I've been trying to keep the reviews to series' that are in their early stages so that you have an opportunity to pick it up if it seems like something you'd like! As always, thanks for checking this out, and leave some damn comments so I know whether I should give this hobby up forever or not. Thanks!













Favorite Quote: "The Spectre is not a superhero. He's not here to protect us." - Jim Corrigan





Suggested Listening: " Judgment " composed by Steve Jablonsky for the Gears of War: Judgment score







