National Comics: Eternity #1

By: Jeff Lemire (story), Cully Hamner & Derec Donovan (art), Val Staples (colors)

The Story: There are some people who need killing and there are some who need to stay dead.

The Review: Even though DC Universe Presents has been a mixed bag, quality wise—the high point being the recent Vandal Savage arc by James Robinson, the low being, predictably enough, Dan Didio’s Challengers of the Unknown—I still dig the showcase format as an idea.  The joy of having a shared universe with hundreds of characters is for creators to use them as springboards for ideas, tapping into potential stories no one else sees.

DC Universe Presents really only had a flaw in its tolerance for length.  It’s one thing to leave a title on the stands for a few months just to weather a mediocre story, but if that story stretches on for six issues, you’re more likely to forget about the title altogether rather than pick it up again.

National Comics gets the concept right.  It provides a pretty generous foundation for a good story with an extended page count, and by not allowing any one feature to go beyond an issue, it ensures the story will be self-contained.  In other words, it’s the comic book version of a TV pilot, a way for DC to test the waters with a new idea/character and see if enough people bite to invest into an ongoing.

Lemire is really a shoo-in for this format since the guy clearly has much love for DC’s lesser-known characters, which include the featured Kid Eternity—or now, in a Lil Bow Wow sort of move, simply Eternity.  Here, Lemire follows DC’s recent trend of taking old-school properties with Vertigo cred and re-appropriating them for their mainstream universe, a strategy that’s worked out pretty well for a while now.

For one, Lemire abandons the hokiness of Eternity summoning up the spirits of historical figures, and thus eliminates the character’s only claim to superheroics.  Instead, Lemire goes for more of a whodunit, with a supernatural twist.  Using the dead to help solve the mystery of their own deaths is pretty ingenious, particularly since Lemire throws in impediments to their memory which prevents them from identifying the cause of death outright.

This new conception of Christopher Freeman’s powers also makes him more useful as a hero, since he must rely on his own skills to solve problems, helped only by his spiritual companions’ knowledge.  By the end of the issue, you find yourself quite willing to see more of these ghostly CSI-type adventures.  Chris makes a good everyman protagonist, a kind of Peter Parker figure: introverted but compassionate, reserved but sarcastic (to the temporarily revived and abrasive Darby Quinn: “Sounds like I’d want to kill you too.”), the perfect foil to all personalities.

And if Lemire can consistently bring out twists like the one here, an ongoing Eternity series could be quite fun.  For one thing, it actually surprises you.  Darby’s self-destructiveness is protected from our discovery by a veil of obscured memories and his cover as the fat, middle-aged comic.  His attitude is both exasperating and funny, as any good curmudgeon should be, preventing you from seeing the truth of his death right up until Lemire sheds the light for you.

Donovan’s work has a similarly blocky style to Hamner’s, but not quite the dramatic flair or fine detail that makes Hamner’s art pop.  In any other circumstance, Hamner’s figures would look cartoony, a better fit for a Johnny DC title or perhaps Teen Titans, but the attention he puts into perspective and expression keeps him looking legit.  Donovan, on the other hand, looks actually cartoony, a bit too simple and forward.  Fortunately, Staples is there to keep everything looking consistently dramatic and credible.

Conclusion: A strong first outing for both the featured character and the format.  It can’t hurt to check it out with this kind of talent attached; it’s only one issue, after all.

Grade: B+

– Minhquan Nguyen

Some Musings: – Admittedly, I didn’t do too great on my Crim Law final—forgetting that the victim didn’t die on an essay question will do that to you—but Sally’s self-defense in this case is certainly justified, yes?

– Did anyone every watch that shortlived show on ABC, Pushing Daisies?  The similarities are quite striking, aren’t they?  The strong, silent everyman using his power of temporarily reviving the dead to solve their murders?