Before the New DCU we had a team up series with ‘Brave and the Bold’. A series I really love partially because of JMS writing it but also because I love comics that involve team ups. I’ve read a lot of ‘Brave and the Bold’, ‘Marvel Team Up’, and other books like that since then and for the most part they’ve been fun to read. Now we have a new ‘team up’ book of sorts with DCU Presents, which will follow different characters in the new universe. First up we have Deadman, a character who has had a ton of exposure even before the relaunch. What new story could be told this time?

Paul Jenkins has had a ton of criticism over the last couple of years and it’s well deserved. This is coming from a man who wrote ‘Sentry: Fallen Sun’, easily one of the worst comics to come out in the 21st century. So of course reading anything by him is going to be a bit weary to me. For the most part this is a good retelling of Deadman’s origins with the start of his first mission. I like we’re getting a blank slate with the guy because I couldn’t get into him much in the old DCU because I never knew about him before. The problem with this comic is that Jenkins is trying to fit too much into a first issue. If this was just a Deadman origin then I would be fine with it, he needs a fresh start. But Jenkins tries to juggle too much by rushing into his origin and then going into this complex story of what his mission needs to be. I like the idea that he’s constantly jugging going into people trying to help them….But then it instantly reminds me of Quantum Leap so it’s not that original of an idea. Then you have the Bernard Chang art which is good, but doesn’t do much for me in the long run. He does a very good job making sure every person in the panel looks different, especially in the carnival sequence. Plus his interpretation of Deadman’s ‘balance’ of life and death is a nice image. But for the most part it’s more of a talking head issue or just close ups of other characters he’s inhabiting. Also let me point this out: The colorist is name ‘Blond’ which might be the stupidest name I’ve ever heard.

It’s a shame this book couldn’t impress me for another issue because the premise is sound. A nice, clean slate for Deadman is a good start but Jenkins just put too much on the table for a first issue. If it was just an origins issue I’d be okay with it, but as it is it’s too much to fit into twenty pages. The art by Chang almost saves it but it’s not enough for me to try it as an ongoing. I’ll definitely give it a shot in trade especially once we get past the Deadman story.