A Second Look ...

This week I would like to take a look at Vertigo's Madame Xanadu written by Matt Wagner and drawn by Amy Reeder Hadley. With five issues in the bank this series has moved along quite nicely. Each month's issue features a solo story which has quietly become part of a much larger arc.

I credit both creators for keeping my interest in this book. Wagner has developed a unique idea and get you to care about its central character - Madame Xanadu, an immortal fairy with waning powers.

Each issue is completely different than the last and Wagner is using the passage of time very well to tell a story that spans the centuries.

Also, Wagner has added in a twist in the tale with The Phantom Stranger. Is he friend or foe for a smitten-Madame Xanadu? I for one am very interested to see where this part of the story goes.

Hadley's pencils, accompanied by Richard Friend's inks, are masterful. The detail is clean and this book has a much more vibrant look to it than other muddy Vertigo titles. For me, art is such an important part to the storytelling process that it sometimes distracts from a great story.

The next issue of Madame Xanadu, #6, will feature a Vertigo fan-favorite in Death from The Sandman in what promises to be another exciting chapter in this new-born title.