5 out of 5

A collection of the Spector strips from The Meg – the main review of the story itself is at that link, though I’ll touch on it in reviewing the collection quality.

First: the external stuff. I considered knocking a point for the book not acknowledging in some way the transition from artist Carlos Ezquerra to Dan Cornwell – this was Carlos’ final work before his passing, and his drawn parts were initially printed in a special with scripts for subsequent entries, and a note from John saying he hoped to find a fitting artist to finish it. However… it’s a testament to the story’s quality and the artists that you don’t need that context to “justify” anything, and there’s no reason to frame the experience with that, like it’s a tribute. It’s perhaps a better tribute to let the work stand on its own, and if someone is curious why the switch happened, the info is out there. Do I really think it would’ve significantly harmed anything by adding some kind of one-line explainer? Hm… no, but I’m just acknowledging that I can see it both ways, and it doesn’t feel like a point with any substance beyond my love for Carlos.

Additionally, those scripts John wrote however long ago, we now get to see them (in the extras of this collection) mapped to Dan’s pencils / inks, and that’s a lot of fun; a nice way to trace things back to the scripts’ inclusion in that special.

…And… I should reunderline from my original review and now: how amazingly the transition turned out. Dan Cornwell did this in his own style, absolutely, but there’s already significant Ezquerra DNA in that style, as well as a respect for the kind of pacing / camerwork with which the book started. It’s possible to say that Dan evolved things as the book went along, but that goes hand in hand with the storyline intensity heating up. Either way: the story absolutely reads as one, with each artist suited to the book and to each other, but also maintaining their own styles. Dan’s cover is also perfect: the front has a city scape mapped to Spector’s visage, and then the same city scape sans visage on the back. Along with the design choice (design is creditde to Sam Gretton and Gemma Sheldrake) of the blocky typeface for the title, printed vertically, the trade truly stands out.

What makes this a great purchase, even for those with the original Megs – and beyond the convenience – is how differently, and arguably better, the story reads as collected, and without chapter breaks. This was really a masterful narrational effort by Wagner, jumping back and forth between places and a pretty big cast constantly, but never losing our place in the story. I was shocked at how quickly we shuffled between setups (and then back to a previous location), told as one linear conversation; it’s a move that feels sloppy when most writers try it, but it’s damn slick and super satisfying here. Having that experience compressed into one 100ish page read absolutely makes for a trade you don’t put down once you pick it up.