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Soulsearchers And Company # 69 and 70
01/08/2005 . Source: Paul Skevington 
pub: Claypool Comics. 36 page standard comic. Price: $ 2.50 (US), $ 4.00 (CAN)). editor: Richard Howell. writer: Peter David. penciller: John Heebink. inker: Al Milgrom. letterers: Thom Zahler and Kevin Cunningham. check out website: www.claypoolcomics.com
'Soulsearchers And Company' is Claypool Comics' rather odd comic fantasy title concerning the adventures of an assortment of oddballs who each have unique powers which they use to solve mysteries of an equally abstract nature. Attempting a blend of comedy and modern day fantasy, it's an eclectic mix obviously aiming at a particularly specialist readership. Previous issues have not left me with a deep appreciation for the title and things continue in much the same vein with these more recent issues.
Issue 69 picks up several existing plotlines, trying to squeeze lots of information into the limited page count, sometimes at the cost of plot coherence. Baraka, who is an Arabic fire demon, and his newlywed wife Bridget (she has a magic pole, chortle chortle) are completing the last leg of their honeymoon, during which they have been constantly confronted by the machinations of the evil Woodstarke family. At the same time, the rest of the crew are investigating the disappearance of several people close to the group. Any more details than this would numb your brain and mine.
Any chance to become involved with the story is destroyed by the frequent intrusions of the writer's voice. For example, in one section Bridget and Baraka are walking around Buenos Aires. As they do so, Baraka begins to point out several landmarks. Briget asks him why he is doing this, to which he replies '...when you go to that much effort for backgrounds you want to show off'. The writer Peter David also institutes a series of running gags, writing 'insert scene transition here' in caption boxes, to not particularly hilarious effect. It feels like being kicked in the face repeatedly by someone whose boot soles have 'this is not real' imprinted on them. Consequentially many of the characters lack depth; they are ciphers and the exact nature of their desires and motivations unimportant to the not-so-grand scheme of things. This is a shame as there are several glimmers of hope apparent in this issue. The section where Arnold Q Stanley, a founding member of the group who was turned into a prairie dog, and the accountant Peter P. Peterson infiltrate a monster bar is quite entertaining, if you've never watched Angel.
Issue 70 does not improve much upon this. It is a special 'Jump In' issue, designed to allow new readers to join in with the ongoing storyline. Cue many more 'ironic' comments from the writers combined with a massive info-dump, delivered in a way that the writers do not even attempt to disguise as being anything other than completely contrived. When compared to similar pieces of 'recap' writing in other media, for instance the wonderfully layered episode 'Q & A' in the TV series 'Alias', this is incredibly shoddy and certainly wouldn't tempt me into becoming a regular reader.
It doesn't help that the main villains, the aforementioned Woodstarkes, are quite so unfeasibly boring. They're like Agent Smith from 'The Matrix', except without being cool or funny.
On the plus side some of the humour is quite enjoyable, although it never reaches belly laugh levels. John Heebink's artwork continues to be enjoyable, though his talent is obviously confined by the material he has to work with. Both of the covers for these issues are fantastic, issue 69 has one of the best covers I've seen on a comic, managing to be far more interesting than the books actual contents! His character work is particularly good. The majority of the protagonists are distinctive and have a good emotional range. He does a first rate comedy monster, too!
Al Milgrom's inking is excellent. He is patently trying hard to bring the most out of the artwork with his strong and assured work. Thom Zahler and Kevin Cunningham's lettering maintain a similar standard of quality.
Having said this, I'm sure there are some people out there to whom this book will appeal. There's a level of un-taxing fun to be had from it and some may appreciate the series' willingness to provide complex long-running plot-lines and not apologise for them. I myself can't get over what I see as basic flaws within the piece; characters constantly discussing things they already know about just for the benefit of the readers (not just within the jump-in issue), unpalatable breaks with the reality of the comic's world and a failure to provide anything new or fresh to an increasingly sophisticated comics audience. This book needs some major surgery or it needs to be put out of its misery for good.
Paul Skevington
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