I always like the concept of Deadman. He takes over people’s bodies in order to help them (or others).  But why does he wear a costume?  I mean no one can see him, so why dress up?  He doesn’t have an identity to protect so why were gloves?  How is he going to leave fingerprints?  And why does he have a big D on his chest?  I mean no one can see it except him.  Is he going to forget who he is?  Is he afraid that another dead guy is going to wear his clothes?  So he put a big D on it.  Kinda like how people put ribbons on their luggage so it doesn’t get mixed up.

Well I like the concept of Deadman, but I think that it has been stolen by other media.  You might remember quantum leap, that was just Deadman with a techno gadget.  So while the concept has potential, it takes a bit to keep it fresh. I didn’t like the buildup throughout this issue, it was a story I already knew, but then the end had a great twist and keeps me back for the next issue.  I hope they pursue this meta story instead of the ‘damsel/dude in distress’ that it could be.

The art is okay at best, but at times looks less than polished.  DCU presents will probably be a rotating book, with new characters and artist every few issues.  So maybe they are using it to tryout new talent.

C-      Don

Deadman does work much better as a concept and/or a guest character than he does as a series lead, but to be fair this comic is supposed to have rotating leads/creative teams so it’s not a Deadman ongoing.

This comic glosses over some bits of his origin while still giving us some information on who Deadman is and why he’s doing what he’s doing. The review above asks a lot of questions about his appearance, which is something explained in previous iterations of his origin. His costume is just his outfit that he wore as a death-defying aerialist (the “D” still stood for Deadman, I think – his gimmick was doing dangerous stunts without a net that made him a “dead man walking” so to speak), and since it’s what he was wearing when he was murdered, according to ghost rule #5 it’s what he has to wear as a disembodied spirit.

I also agree with the meta-story comment. It would be neat to see this become a pseudo-anthology title that keeps a story going but spreads it out amongst various DC characters, sort of like what the last version of “The Brave and the Bold” did in several arcs.

C+ — Ed