Written by John Ostrander
Art by Tom Mandrake; Todd Klein; Carla Feeny; & Digital Chameleon
Cover Art by Tristan Shane
SUMMARY:
Published by DC Comics for April 1994, it’s entitled “Into the Dark Side.” A raging Spectre decides that humanity’s fate is ominously sealed by his grudge re-match with Eclipso. Phantom Stranger’s failed recruitment of Madame Xanadu reveals that he intends to wait out the Spectre vs. Eclipso battle, so his assembled strike force faces the winner. At Eclipso’s moon base, the vulnerable Spectre merges with Eclipso. Phantom Stranger’s team senses their worst possible fear has occurred.
Madame Xanadu conspires with the mystic Ramban and Father Craemer to summon Jim Corrigan’s spirit. In Central Park, the trio is interrupted by street thugs. Attempting to protect the Eclipso gem from destruction, Phantom Stranger’s strike team (Zatanna Zatara; Inza Nelson’s Doctor Fate; and Etrigan the Demon) defiantly wage a losing battle vs. the corrupted Spectre. Madame Xandau’s allies free Jim Corrigan, dreading that Eclipso now fully inhabits the Spectre.
REVIEW:
Ingeniously setting up a climatic Issue # 18, writer John Ostrander delivers a knockout in conjunction with Tom Mandrake’s spot-on artwork. Setting up rival approaches to thwart the Spectre, Ostrander creates a sense of unpredictability as to how this storyline will ultimately play out. Madame Xanadu’s scenes, in particular, are certainly worth reading.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
There is a two-page letter-and-answers column. Also, a single-page list of current DC Comics releases (including Green Lantern # 50) are displayed in a TV Guide-style format.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
