Since the line debuted about a year ago, the DC UNIVERSE novels have become progressively better. Now four deep into the series, Jeff Mariotte’s DC UNIVERSE: TRAIL OF TIME is every bit as good as the benchmark, Dennis O’Neil’s HELLTOWN.
One may not expect it to be, since it focuses on characters that shouldn’t go together, but under the guise of time travel, anything’s possible. Mariotte’s story posits that our Earth is to be destroyed by three evil sorcerers – Mordru, Felix Faust and Vandal Savage – so that they readily can rule a duplicate Earth. (INFINITE CRISIS, anyone?)
To stop this, The Phantom Stranger and Jason Blood (who turns into The Demon) retrieve Clark Kent from Earth 2 – where he’s not Superman – and merge him with his Earth 1 self – where he is. Because his wife, Lois Lane, has just been murdered on Earth 2, he has nothing else to live for and agrees to go with these supernatural strangers. The gateway from one Earth to another, by the way, is Hell.
If all that sounds confusing, have patience. Mariotte explains it better than I do, anyway, and deals with it in just a couple of pages. Then the real action begins, with our heroes chasing the sorcerers to the days of Camelot. And then to the 19th-century Old West, where several of DC’s Western heroes – Jonah Hex, Bat Lash, El Diablo and Scalphunter – band together and agree to assist these strange visitors from the future.
Employing Hex and company proves to be Mariotte’s stroke of genius. He gets into the Western milieu so well that their chapters surpass those of Supes on the interest scale. Luckily, they comprise about half the novel. Utilizing DC’s practitioners of magic as Superman’s supporting players also was a wise choice, and others pop up throughout the narrative, including Zatanna and Dr. Occult.
Now, TRAIL OF TIME isn’t without faults. The chapters focusing on the villains are boring, and those following Lois’ reporting exploits are simply superfluous. As with many books of this type, the final showdown also leaves something to be desired. But Mariotte has fun playing in this universe, and the story he’s conjured is full of action, adventure and fantasy. –Rod Lott
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS SERIES:
• DC UNIVERSE: HELLTOWN by Dennis O’Neil
• DC UNIVERSE: INHERITANCE by Devin Grayson
• DC UNIVERSE: LAST SONS by Alan Grant
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
• 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: RUMORS OF THE UNDEAD by Steve Niles and Jeff Mariotte
Related posts:
- DC Universe: Helltown
- DC Universe: Inheritance
- DC Universe: Last Sons
- Infinite Crisis
- Superman Returns
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Clearly as the author’s spouse I’m biased, but I’m glad you liked TRAIL OF TIME, and that you liked many of the same aspects I liked about it.