Supernatural #9
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Daniel Scalisi
Colorist: Ellie Wright
Cover Artist: John Amor
I don't think the Supernatural TV series ever did full-on zombies. There was the Season 14 cliffhanger where Chuck (aka God) raised a whole bunch of angry dead while Motorhead's God Was Never on Your Side played, but the resolution was a cop-out.
Does the comic instead go full-on "real" zombies?
Well...
Dead Man's Party
I think I accidentally skipped reviewing issue #8. No biggie, we'll get you caught up. The brothers Winchester are still dealing with Steff Windler and her father Steffan. Dad currently has John Winchester's journal in his possession. The elder Windler is dying, you see. But there was a prophecy that stated the blood of the "Lightbearer," if combined with a ritual while a comet passes overhead, could prevent death. The supposed "Lightbearer?" Sam Winchester. The ritual? In John's journal. The dead? Rising.
You see, it turns out that the German word for "Lightbearer" is really close to the word for "Lightbringer," or Lucifer. I think they call that foreshadowing...
Anyways, there are zombies, the Windlers are still evil, and they have giant robots. Fight!
Sympathy for the Devil
This series has been a wild ride, that's for sure. When it started, we were told it was "lost tales" set during the days of the first two seasons of the show. I thought that meant we'd get a lot of stand-alone smaller-scale stories. Instead, we basically got one long arc that runs the whole length of this series (next issue, #10, is the last), and it didn't stay small-scale for long.
From what I can tell, there were a few reasons why this story had to be told in the early season timeline. First, because the boys didn't cavalierly kill humans yet. If they did, like they start to do in later seasons, this would have been a really short run. Second, because the power creep hadn't kicked in yet. No angels, only a few demons, no Lucifer or anything like that. Third, because the brothers were still working on their bond at this time and so things slipped past them that wouldn't have at later times.
Oh, and fourth, because comics don't have budgetary constraints. You'd never see giant mecha robots powered by ghosts on the show. Which is a shame, because they were cool. And the brothers threw grenades at them, which was another thing you'd never see on TV.
It may seem like I'm not saying a lot about this issue itself. The honest truth is, there's not a lot there. Steff Windler is back to thinking her dad is going too far, which is a major shift from how she was (but at the same time is in line with how she was earlier in the series—she's been really inconsistent depending on the needs of the story).
It was cool to see zombies, not that they did much either. Really, this issue did a lot of explaining why and how all of the various pieces from this run fit together, and then hit us with the Lucifer foreshadowing (which admittedly was pretty cool).
By the end of the issue, it's all over but the cleanup, which of course involves Sam lamenting he's "a monster." One of the things I definitely did not miss from the early seasons. I'm curious if the next issue is going to lead into the relaunch at all, where apparently each brother is getting their own series because they're refusing to work together (again?). I'm guessing that's going to be later in the timeline, though. I imagine the last issue of this run needs to fold things back into the series timeline somewhat, so that people like me don't keep complaining about having no clue where it fits in the overall scheme of things...
Brother's Keeper
Greg Pak has a good grasp on the brothers' voices, and this time around Dean actually gets a bit more focus. Granted, it's because he was told he was always has to watch out for Sam, but that and a slice of pie amount to 85% of his reasons for living, so it fits. The Windlers are still frustratingly inconsistent in their own characterizations, but I guess that's what happens when you take your bad guy and give them as much screen time as the leads (look at you, later seasons of Buffy with Spike).
This series hasn't really held down a regular artist, instead working with a rotation. Daniel Scalisi comes up this time around, and he's one of the better ones in the group. His likenesses to the actors aren't really there, but you can still identify the characters with no problem. He does well with the action, which is good since he's got zombies, giant robots, and grenades to work with this month.
The colors by Ellie Wright have been a constant throughout this series. They've always been a little too "glossy" for my liking, but she handles the abundance of shadows and scenes that take place in cemeteries and/or at night with aplomb. There's more blood in this issue too, which she does a good job with and doesn't make it look too "fake."
What Is Dead Should Stay Dead
Supernatural #9 wraps up much of the overarching plot for this particular run, setting us up for the final issue next month. It still finds time for some moments of action, giving us giant robots and angry zombies at the same time. The villains are still frustratingly inconsistent, and there's too much focus on Sam above all else, but it's still an enjoyable enough read overall.