Hexed #1

Hexed is a four-issue miniseries beginning in December from Boom!, and they’re really pulling out the stops on this supernatural thriller comic. Great title, too.

Hexed Cover B (OCT08 3925)
by Joe Pekar

It’s the story of Lucifer, shown on the cover, a young thief who deals in the enchanted, such as stealing a pair of angel’s wings. She’s double-crossed a bad guy, a previous client who wants his revenge by making her obtain something impossible for him. That showdown scene strongly reminded me of a similar one in Joss Whedon’s Fray, but it’s a convention of the genre, where the protagonist gets put into the conflict situation by facing off bravely against someone who seems to have more power and control, a villain she will eventually defeat. There’s also a mentor/boss/surrogate mother figure, an older woman with a smart wit.

(The previous doublecross happened in Clarksville, so every time someone mentioned it, I was thrown from the underworld to a mental picture of four happy lads in matching shirts singing and playing guitars.)

Hexed Cover A (OCT08 3924)
by Emma Rios

Some of it tries too hard — like the precious name given to the main character. More significantly, much of the issue is told through internal monologue, and I didn’t believe that Lucifer would be that chatty with anyone, even herself. If she’s that into self-analysis, it doesn’t match up with the type she’s shown to be through her actions. Instead, it comes across as a quick way to dump lots of background and exposition on the reader. A thief that skilled shouldn’t need to explain her techniques to herself, but it does help out someone new to this world.

The art is well-suited for the character. It’s easy to read but slightly edgy. The neon colors, by Cris Peter, all deep pinks and aquas, give an appropriately sickly, unnatural look that works for both demons and the underworld. The storyline’s familiar, but the magic gives it a fresh coat of paint. Four issues is probably just long enough for this caper: a couple more issues of plot and counterplot, and then the wrapup.

There’s an eight-page preview running along with an interview with the creators conducted by Boom! Editor-in-Chief Mark Waid at Newsarama. It’s interesting to hear the artist talk about her European influences; you can see them through her settings and sense of place in her drawings. Both the writer and artist talk about horror, violence, and disgusting things, but I didn’t see too much of it in this issue. Maybe it’s still to come. (A complimentary online copy for this review was provided by the publisher.)