The Good
Eclipso finds a new host in Gordon Jacobs. Will he and Gordon be the perfect fit or will Eclipso have to find a new vessel?
The driving force of this book is the ridiculously awesome page layouts. This book is worth the $2.99 just to see how these scenes are set-up. Phillip Tan experiments with these beautiful layouts that are very non-traditional. As soon as Eclipso enters the picture, the world around Gordon is distorted. This is why the reader is treated to things like a splash page with a black diamond border, with a panel in the negative space, of Eclispo walking out of the shadows. The book is filled with some awesomely set-up pages like this. However, this isn't a style of story telling that would work for any book, but it fits perfectly into this Villains Month issue.
Again, on the artistic side of things, artist Philip Tan, inker Jason Paz, and colorist Nathan Eyring do some really interesting things here. It feels like this book was put together by two very different artists where it switches depending on the tone of that particular panel or page. The colors switch from a more traditional style to what seems like water colors. It's a really cool effect that brings some extra emotion to the story.
The Bad
There's a few times, in this issue, where the art is a bit inconsistent. Now, as mentioned earlier, there's two very distinct styles going on here, but that's not the problem. The main character, Gordon Jacobs, face changes a bit in length and width. There’s one panel in particular where he gets a case of "horse face," on page four.
The story is ok.The first half of the book, where the reader is introduced to Gordon is a bit dry. This is a case where the art really outshines the story. Eclipso doesn't really feel like a threatening villain because readers haven't seen a lot of him, unless they were reading TEAM 7, SWORD OF SORCERY, DEMONS KNIGHTS, or CATWOMAN, and three of those books are no more. What it really boils down to is that this book wasn't that interesting.
The Verdict
Overall, JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK ECLIPSO was an ok issue. Storywise, it's ok. Gordon isn't the most thrilling character and his backstory was so-so; however, the art here, minus one problematic area, was stellar. The way this team executed these pages was brilliant and it really spiced this issue up. I'm curious to see how Eclipso will work as a Justice League Dark villain, but we'll have to wait and see. Overall, I give this issue a mild recommendation, mainly because these page layouts are incredibly cool.