Deadman #6 Review and **SPOILERS**

After These Messages, We’ll Be Right Back

Written, Drawn and Colored By: Neal Adams 

Lettered By: Clem Robins 

Cover By: Neal Adams 

Cover Price: $3.99 

On Sale Date: April 18, 2018

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Reading and understanding a Neal Adams comic book are two separate things. If you’re reading this, then you can read a Neal Adams comic. But that says nothing about whether or not you will comprehend it. All signs point to “nope,” but let’s do our best, shall we? Take a peek at my review of Deadman #6, the final issue of this miniseries, right here!

Explain It!

I never find myself more unable to commit to the task described above—Explain It!—than when reviewing a Neal Adams comic book. The cover of this issue depicts a gigantic Deadman hovering over a classic-looking Batman, so that would imply that Batman figures into this issue, right? Nope. Instead, we get page after page—after page, after page—of a very bizarre conversation between Deadman and his boss, Rama Dass. Wait, wasn’t he looking for Ra’s Al Ghul? Maybe he’s still looking for Ra’s, but decided to chop it up with Rama Dass along the way.

But wait—this is the last issue of a six-issue miniseries! If he doesn’t talk to Ra’s Al Ghul now, he never will…and there are a lot of loose ends to tie up. Last we saw Boston Brand’s parents, they visited Ra’s to see what’s up with their son Aaron that they gave to him so many years ago, and he looked glad to be hanging with the League of Assassins. There’s also the matter of how the Spectre fits into all of this, something I’m not sure he knows the answer to. He pretty much fucks off at the beginning of this issue. 

In fact, the only thing we really learn before this issue concludes is that Aaron Brand is now Ra’s Al Ghul…which doesn’t make any sense. We saw him three issues ago, and he looked like a regular, angular-faced goon!  Now he’s got that telltale stripe of white and a stunted Fu Manchu mustache, per his new station in life. We also learn that Sinda brought Deadman here, in the guise of Rama Dass, which is important for some reason? I remember the weird reveal that the talking tree from two issues ago was Sinda, but not knowing what the hell that meant, I forgot it.

All that, and at the end it turns out this is only Book One of two—the next one commencing at some yet-to-be-told time, and including Batman! That’s right, the cover of this issue teased an entirely different issue that is not yet on the publishing schedule. I love this book's insanity, but I hate it on every other level. It assumes too much foreknowledge from the reader, it seems like something being made up on the spot, and I can’t even say I’ve stopped caring about this story—more that I’ve been confused out of being engaged by it entirely. Neal Adams still has the touch when it comes to the artwork, but this story is like a four year-old’s fever dream.

Bits and Pieces:

This issue is the biggest rip-off of the series thus far--that's right, thus far--but if you've come along to this point, I suppose we can keep strolling along this insane road together. Because it turns out that this six-issue miniseries was actually the first book of (at least) two. I'd like to say all will be revealed in a subsequent miniseries, but we know it won't.

3/10