by: Steve Niles (writer), Fiona Staples (art & colors), Robbie Robbins (letters) & Bob Schreck (editor)
The Story: The Mystery Society clears Nick Mystery’s name and retrieves Edgar Allen Poe’s skull.
What’s Good: Really good final issue and really good ending to a fun series. I would really encourage everyone to give this comic a try if you like something that has a bit of a BPRD or League of Extraordinary Gentlemen vibe, but is completely continuity free. In this final issue, the gang’s leader (Nick Mystery – billionaire scoundrel with a good heart) has been imprisoned by US Army and it is up to the rest of the gang, now the they’re procured Edgar Allen Poe’s skull, to save him. The gang is made up of Anastasia (Nick’s wife), Secret Skull (a real life ghoul), Jules Verne’s brain (controlling a humanoid battle suit of sorts) and the Atomic Twins (two ~10 year old girls with teleportation abilities). Everything in the series is just a bit whacky (but never silly) way and in the end, they save Nick, triumph over the Pugsley-esq villain and get to use Mr. Poe’s skull for a neat ceremony. Very fun.
The thing that really carries this issue (and series) is Fiona Staples art. Her penciling style is really clean and she doesn’t over ink her work, so you can still kinda see the pencil work in there. Ms. Staples also colors her own work and this pays a lot of dividends. Much of the surface contours on people’s faces are added via coloration and because Ms. Staples did all of the art, she obviously knew what contours she wanted to add with a line and which she wanted to add with a highlight. It is a more cohesive art look than you typically get in a lot of comics. She also achieves that rare thing that I’ll always laud: drawing attractive women without resorting to heaving bosoms and fighting crime in a thong/spandex catsuit.
What’s Not So Good: Nothing really. It isn’t “epic” if that’s what you’re looking for, but it isn’t even remotely trying to be that.
Conclusion: A very strong ending to this first Mystery Society series. I hope there is more where this came from because I’d buy it. If you haven’t been keeping up, this is one to seek out in trade because it is a sweet, fun and different story with outstanding art. As a side note, when is IDW going to stop charging $3.99 per issue? You’d have to think sales will suffer with Marvel and DC largely retreating from the $3.99 price point. Hmmm….
Grade: B+
-Dean Stell