I Didn't Get That

Phantom Stranger 0
DC Comics
Dan Didio, writer
Brent Anderson, artist

This was an interesting book, both for what it included and what (in my opinion) it didn't.

The DCnU version of the Phantom Stranger was first seen in the 2012 Free Comic Book Day special as part of the Trinity of Sin alongside the new Question and Pandora, apparently the architect of the DCnU. In the past, the Stranger did not have a definitive origin. That is not the case here. Though the names Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ are never actually mentioned, there is little doubt that the Stranger used to be Judas before his judgment at the hands of the Council of Wizards for his betrayal of Jesus. He wears a necklace made up of the 30 pieces of silver Judas was paid for betraying Christ, according to the Bible. While the Stranger never had a definitive origin before, the idea of his being Judas is not a new concept. I first read it as one of four possible origins for the Stranger in the 10th issue of Secret Origins published by DC in January 1987. I can't say for certain if the version predates that book.

This book starts out replaying the judgment scenes from the Free Comic Book Day special, albeit from the Stranger's point of view this time. He acknowledges his guilt and begs for mercy from the wizards before being banished back to Earth to wander endlessly until he has atoned for his crime. The cloak he is given to wear is the one formerly worn by the one he betrayed, he tells us, and it seems that the cloak itself is what disguises his true appearance.

The Stranger is left to wander alone with his thoughts from ancient times to what appears to be the modern era but no date is actually given. Finally, a voice guides him to hot-headed police officer Jim Corrigan and we see the Stranger play a significant role in Corrigan's death and transformation into the Spectre, another classic DC hero being introduced to the DCnU for the first time. As the Spectre disappears to begin his own mission as God's spirit of vengeance, a single silver coin drops off from the Stranger's necklace and turns to dust. At this, the Stranger tells us he has learned the way he must earn his redemption, then wanders off to wait to be called again.

Here's my only major problem with this issue: There's no denying that the Stranger played a role in Corrigan being shot, killed and transformed into the Spectre. However, the Stranger was no more in control than Corrigan was of the situation. Corrigan was following the Stranger's lead and the Stranger was following the voice that led him to act. I get that for each act the Stranger performs at the bidding of this voice, he will lose one piece of silver until all 30 are gone and he is redeemed. But what exactly did he do? What exactly did he learn about what he must do besides follow a mysterious voice? That knowledge came in the form of the Who's Who page at the back of each of these Zero issues. In this issue, we have a Who's Who page on the Stranger that explains: "These callings are a double-edged sword for the Stranger. Although he can remove one of the 30 pieces of silver he wears as a cursed necklace, he is also eventually forced to betray those that he encounters as penance." This is nice information to have, but I don't know that I see this as betrayal when the Stranger doesn't know exactly what is going on either, and it would have been better if the story had made this key point clear, not the text page.

I've read complaints online about the writing on this book being weak, but other than the above, I have no problems with it so far. Plus, the next issue teaser mentions Trigon; as a confirmed Titans fan, I'm curious how Trigon will play into the Stranger's story. We shall see.