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Hyde Street #3

Probably to avoid being labeled grinches or Scrooges, the Ghost Machine team opted to release this Christmas theme issue after New Year’s. The release doesn’t really matter as it’s another very entertaining installment of the spookiest street in comics.

There’s something satisfying about a comic where truly terrible and awful people get their well-deserved comeuppance. That’s been a key theme of the series — and its one-shot special — so far. Writer Geoff Johns, artist Ivan Reis, colorist Brad Anderson and letterer Rob Leigh introduce another element into the shenanigans on Hyde Street. What if there was a resident who was actively working against the game and helping random individuals who stumble onto Hyde Street find redemption?

Samuel Karpis is a top-level heel as he’s running around on Christmas night in a stolen Santa Claus costume, stealing gifts, money and the occasional cookies and milk on the one night of the year he should be caring more about his fellow man. Mr. X-Ray begrudgingly accepts Pranky’s offer to show Karpis an especially awful time now that he’s made his way onto Hyde Street.

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Johns continues to write Mr. X-Ray as the character who understands why he’s on Hyde Street but still carries himself as if he’s above it. The long-term inhabitants on the street can damn 10,000 souls in order to be returned to their loved ones. Pranky has already long since reached that milestone but enjoys meting out his special form of justice. Karpis isn’t ready for Pranky to turn his Christmas heist into his Christmas nightmare. Johns has always had a knack for quickly establishing characters. Hyde Street is providing a fun avenue for quickly introduced and disposed of characters interacting with his mainstays. In a lot of ways, it plays out like a twisted Fantasy Island style comic.

Reis does such a stellar job of packing so much emotion into the characters injecting them with so much personality. Pranky always looks devious and mischievous while Mr. X-Ray seems constantly aloof and bored.  But he does care about seeing his daughter again so it’s off to add more numbers to his list. Anderson infuses so many gorgeous color combinations getting the right amount of lighting down for a fire and the variations of snow in a rooftop. Leigh lines up the dialogue efficiently conveying the proper inflection when scenarios get tense.

Hyde Street might be a little late, but it keeps on giving a deliciously dark comic with some excellent character interplay and plenty of unexpected developments. Next issue introduces another mainstay, one who is truly happy to be the wildcard in the rankings.

Rating: 10 out of 10