My Rating
“The Perception of Doors”
Jared Stevens just saved planet Earth from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. You would think someone might say thank you. Instead, Fate is sitting behind bars awaiting trial! News of the bloodbath at the international peace talks in Switzerland has spread around the globe, but the cameras didn’t exactly capture the supernatural side of the story. To the non-magical eye, it appears Jared Stevens murdered four internationally recognized celebrities in front of the entire world. Great. Now the poor bastard has two court dates to worry about.
Can Doctor Occult somehow get Fate out of this mess before the hangman’s noose is wrapped around his neck? And what about the Sentinel? Alan Scott hasn’t stuck his green nose into the situation yet—or has he? Jared knows the artifacts of Fate can take him where he is needed most. All he has to do is block out the distractions, concentrate, and find the right door. Easier said than done when half the world thinks you’re a mass murderer.
If Jared escapes, will the Justice League come looking for him? What planet is far enough away to hide a fugitive wrapped in magical bandages? Can Fate really escape justice simply by thinking himself somewhere else? And who the hell is this Lobo guy? Jared Stevens may have survived the Four Horsemen, but something tells me his problems are just getting started. Collect the series to find out!
Review
I really want to like this issue, but… something immediately feels different. Matt Smith takes over the pencils in The Book of Fate #11 and steers the series straight into Hellboy-styled waters. Don’t get me wrong—I like Smith’s artwork. His heavy shadows and exaggerated character designs work perfectly well for supernatural comics. The problem is timing. With only two issues remaining, this seems like the absolute worst moment to dramatically change the visual identity of the series.
Maybe DC Comics was cutting budgets. Maybe there were scheduling problems behind the scenes. I really don’t know. Whatever happened, the change is distracting. After ten issues, I had become comfortable with the look and feel of Jared Stevens’ little corner of the DC Universe. Suddenly changing artists this close to the finish line makes issue #11 feel almost disconnected from the books immediately preceding it. Again, this isn’t a knock against Matt Smith. I just wish his artwork had either been introduced earlier or saved for another series.
On the positive side, I believe that’s Lobo showing up at the end of this issue! I know almost nothing about the character beyond the basics, so once again DC has given me somebody else to research. Thanks, DC. With only one issue remaining, I’m hoping Jared Stevens and Lobo can send this strange little series out with one hell of a bang. Unfortunately, the jarring artwork change knocks this chapter down a peg for me. Three out of five stars.