Preview – Potter’s Field

There’s change in the wind around Mark Waid these days. The big news of recent of course is his move to Boom! Studios as Editor in Chief. That’s a big deal, given his history with DC. And now, with the pending release of Potter’s Field, Waid is changing in another way, going from his typical fun superhero work over to a more realistic, dark book.

Waid’s new home sent over a preview of the first issue of this departure series, and the good news is that it really doesn’t feel like a Mark Waid book. Don’t get me wrong, I like Waid. But in my mind, he’s always the goofy action guy, epitomized in The Brave and the Bold (which I love). He went a bit darker with Kingdom Come, but it was still filled with capes.

Though a bit overly full of expository dialogue, the noir writing flows pretty easy. A man known as John Doe works to identify all the unidentified bodies buried in a NY cemetery. With toughness, good contacts and empathy, he unravels each mystery. It’s a strong enough set up that leaves both an unending supply of plots and lots of room for background (since we know so little about the main character).

I especially loved Paul Azaceta’s artwork. It has the same feel of Sean Phillips’ style, with lots of contrast and harsh edges. Over the years, as Boom! has developed as a publisher, it’s been fun to watch Paul develop into the star of their show.

All the same, I was a bit mixed after this issue. It did a good job of establishing the storyline, but there were two mysteries solved in the issue and neither seemed like much of a challenge to me or the protagonist. Maybe it’ll just take a few issues for Waid to find his legs as a mystery writer.