DC Comics
Gerard Jones, writer
Mike Parobeck, John Nyberg and Paul Fricke, artists
I completely missed this series when it was new on the stands. I don't remember seeing it on the shelves, although I was buying similar "new format" DC books at the time and was also buying the 1990 relaunch of Green Lantern — also written by Gerard Jones — that debuted a few months into El Diablo's run. In fact, I didn't even know anything about the original El Diablo character whose adventures were serialized in All-Star Western beginning in the 1970s, or the modern New 52 version of the character from Suicide Squad.
But more than once I've heard Michael Bailey on one of the many podcasts he appears on praise this short-lived series. If memory serves, Bailey touted the strong characterization and writing Jones brought to the Rafael Sandoval version of El Diablo. I've also heard Bailey praise Mike Parobeck's clean, dynamic art style from this series as well as his short run on the phenomenal 1992 Justice Society of America (sadly, only 10 issues). So, I decided to seek out the back issues and give the series a try. I was not disappointed!
Readers never learn much about Rafael Sandoval's back story or his ties to the previous version of El Diablo, if any. In the first issue of the series, Sandoval has recently been elected to the city council of his home, Dos Rios, Texas, with the backing of the town's amiable mayor. Sandoval has accepted the position because he hopes to improve things for the Hispanic population of Dos Rios, a border town seemingly made up of mostly whites, a generous number of Hispanics and also some black residents. When issues come up that can't be handled in council chambers, Sandoval adopts the El Diablo identity for a more hands-on approach to problem solving.
There are familiar elements of superhero fare in the pages of El Diablo, but most issues of the series tackle much more "real-world" social ills, from drug peddlers to child abductions, political backstabbing to racial tensions. There wasn't a super villain in any of the issues. But there was plenty of peril, excitement and drama.
The title avoids the "preachy" problem so many relevant comics can fall into, too. Jones does an excellent job of presenting both sides of some tough issues without making either side wholly evil or genuinely pure. All of that careful scripting gives El Diablo and the members of his supporting cast multiple dimensions, fleshing them out like real people, not one-dimensional caricatures. The entire creative team makes this book a joy to read. So much so, I wish the title had been able to sustain itself for a longer run.
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Obviously, I'm back trying to post on the blog. I greatly appreciate those of you who have continued to check in here even though there haven't been new posts in quite a while. I can't promise even a weekly schedule yet, but I'm going to try to post here when I can. I never did do regular reviews on the Facebook page either, but I did recently post a little something about Dark Horse's Ghost Vol. 1. If you want to check it or any of my other non-review posts out, you can visit the page here.
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