The Runic Review: Madame Xanadu #12 (DC Vertigo) By John H

Just a little bit of Herstory repeating?

Ever dream of being immortal? Seeing eras and empires come and go, to actually bear witness to the passage of history and seeing the errors of humanity being repeated time after time? Winston Churchill said “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme”. Now imagine yourself as an immortal clairvoyant, trying to remember that rhyme, like a long lost lullaby you heard in your youth. Within that rhyme is the answer to a clue, a clue your old friends the stars won’t share this night. And the inability to get an answer from the heavens, you fear, will mean soon the time will be up for a select group of victims…




Set in a time before the great depression, Madame Xanadu #12 is rife with the art and prose of The Roaring Twenties. The glitzy glamor and the wild abandon of the era are felt wafting off of each page. It is in amidst this setting where Madame Xanadu must seek out a clue that will lead her to the perpetrator of the heinous crimes hounding her recent clients. Gleaning information about a stranger with a black dog, Madame Xanadu then seeks out friends of her client in order to deliver her dire warnings.

We are then whisked off on a recollection, (a bit of déjà-vu perhaps?) into the times of the early Renaissance, where our illustrious seer is yet again confronted by the church, who judges her knowledge of midwifery as an act of rebellion to the Church. This leads the reader to suspect that perhaps the church, an age old enemy to our forward thinking heroine, has something to do with her present day affairs.

Back in the present day, we see Madame Xanadu at the New York Public Library, seeking out an old tome, suggested to her by one of her old lovers, the Great Zatarra. It is here where she finds the answers as to how her client’s father was murdered, now if she could only find the why... However, it seems that Madame Xanadu’s efforts where in vain, for the mysterious villain has already struck unbeknownst to everyone, even to the poor deluded victim.

What I love about these comic books is how the author and artist are in sync with each other. You feel immersed in the time period, sensing the danger from the villain, and perceive the effrontery that is felt by Madame Xanadu at the hands of those less knowledgeable than herself. I also admire the way magic is portrayed as not being a crutch to the character; it is a resource at her disposal that she wields with parsimony.

Overall, this issue is a must read for any fan of the genre. Both the writer and artist continue a great storyline, and make it even more maddening when you realize you are at the end, once again.

9.0/10

John H