Hyde Street #8 // Review
Pranky was only putting on the werewolf mask. He knew it had weird properties that went way beyond covering-up his face. He might have even known that it was going to turn him into a werewolf. Now it won’t come-off. So he’s consulting with Mr. X-Ray about the situation. There’s a problem, though: it’s Mr. X-Ray’s werewolf mask that Pranky has stuck on his head. They’re enemies but they’re going to have to work together in Hyde Street #8. Writer Geoff Johns continues a compelling series with artist Ivan Reis, inker Danny Miki and colorist Brad Anderson.
Mr. X-Ray isn’t exactly motivated to get the mask off Pranky, but he HAS got some leverage over the sadistic, little kid and he knows it. Before he agrees to take off the mask, he makes Pranky promise to stay out of his business. It’s not exactly in Pranky’s nature to make that sort of promise, but he’s scarcely able to operate as a perfectly innocent-looking boy scout if he happens to look like a juvenile werewolf, so he’s going to agree to Mr. X-Ray’s terms. Of course, it turns out to be a bit of a problem when Mr. X-Ray can’t get the mask off. So he’s going to need to take the kid to one of the most sinister figures on Hyde Street: the resident physician Dr. Ego.
Johns has everything set up for the street in question. All of the backstory is there. So there's a very solid ensemble element going on as the characters interact with each other. With everything being firmly established, John's can go ahead and do some interesting things. Like, for instance, introducing a crazy, psychopathic Dr. Benway-style physician. It's a fun addition which has a solid introduction in this issue. It will be interesting to see where Johns goes with it next month.
Reis and Miki have come up with a visual shorthand for the series that works quite well. The overall mood and atmosphere feels kind of like what Norman Rockwell might have come up with if he was working on a horror with 10 and in for a comic strip. It's very interesting to see the death of the realism that's making the page in the world that's clearly bent into a kind of horror darkness. The drama is a bit rubbery and exaggerated, but it's still rounded very firmly in a remarkably realistic, sort of a visual gravity. Anderson’s colors lend life and power to the visuals of another satisfying issue.
As large as the ensemble is in this series, it's really interesting to see how it all comes together. And there really is a very patient sort of a pacing going on in the course of the series and it's ancillary titles. There are so many different avenues, which could plug into the background of Hyde Street. Add it would be way too easy to just try to cram everything together into single issues. Johns and company seem quite content to take their time telling good stories.
