I really should have learned my lesson by now.

I've tried several post-Infinite Crisis series from DC and, with the glowing exception of Blue Beetle, every single one has sent a clear and unequivocal message: if you're not an existing reader of DC Comics, you're in the wrong place.  Shadowpact is an ongoing series featuring the cast of Day of Vengeance, and it's in much the same category.

It starts well.  There's a decent story idea - a bunch of villains hijack the entire town of Riverrock, Wyoming, in order to use the locals as human sacrifices for some complicated black magic.  The Shadowpact go to the rescue, and get stuck there for a year, thus justifying the "One Year Later" gimmick for this book.  In fact, in the early pages, it's all looking quite entertaining.

But it loses me by failing to introduce any of the characters properly.  There's a four page sequence of the cast members being rounded up to go on the mission, although since they already seem to regard themselves as a team, the actual plot function of this scene is beyond me.  We're never actually told why they formed a team, or what the purpose was, or anything like that.  All the characters are dutifully named, but we're told nothing about who they are, where they came from, what they can do...

We're not dealing with iconic characters here.  You can possibly get away without explaining Detective Chimp simply because he's an obviously absurd character to begin with.  But who is Ragman?  Blue Devil?  Nightshade, whose name I just had to look up before typing it?  Who the hell is Nightmaster?  Am I seriously expected to know this stuff?  The book goes through the motions of introducing them without ever actually doing so, leaving me uncertain whether they're assuming an unrealistic level of knowledge or just botching it.  Either way, it doesn't work.

DC.  Pay attention.  You see that thing on the cover, under your company logo?  That says "1".  That means I should be able to follow it.  Is that really so hard?

Granted, this is not incomprehensible.  The basic plot is clear enough.  I know what the villains want, I know that there's a bunch of heroes who want to stop them.  In that limited sense, it is accessible.  But what isn't accessible is any sense of connection to the characters, any real understanding of the protagonists, or basically any reason to care.  We need more, and we don't get it.

I gave up on the Infinite Crisis stuff early on when it became apparent that, as somebody who didn't have a degree in DC continuity, I wasn't welcome.  I'm now trying some of their recent launches, and apparently I'm not welcome now either.

Do you people want my money or not?

Rating: C

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