From the enchanted forests of Camelot to the dingy streets of 1930s New York City, the immortal mage Madame Xanadu has spent her life using her abilities to see into the future to help the rich and poor alike. However, as time has passed she's come to view the mysterious being known as the Phantom Stranger as an increasing threat to humanity. Now she's more determined than ever to hold him responsible for his inaction to stop the death and mayhem she's seen in her long lifetime.
Madame Xanadu: Disenchanted collects Madame Xanadu #1-10, written by Matt Wagner and illustrated by Amy Reeder Hadley.
For history lovers and mythology buffs, you don't get much better than Madame Xanadu. Over the course of the ten issues collected in Disenchanted, Wagner and Hadley weave an incredible tale of magic, fate and responsibility. The titular heroine is complex and flawed. On the one hand, she's selfish and vain, initially choosing to remain separated from the human world by living in the forests surrounding Camelot. Over the course of centuries, she matures and becomes a champion for those who need her help. From the emperor of China to the prostitutes of London, she uses her precognitive powers to protect whoever she can. She often sees things as black and white, which makes her all the more relatable. The recurring tension between Madame Xanadu and the Phantom Stranger anchors these issues, and is used to highlight Xanadu's own flawed perception of fate. In a way, Disenchanted is like a bildungsroman that sees a childlike witch mature into a confident and determined heroine.
The narrative itself is broken up into five two-part stories, which see Madame Xanadu travelling from her forest home in Camelot to China, France, England and, finally, to America. During the course of her journeys, she encounters many figures from both history and fiction. Though not necessary, it helps to have a working knowledge on the context behind the events she's planted in. Luckily, Wagner provides quite a bit of exposition. For instance, the third segment of Disenchanted sees Madame Xanadu acting as a fortune teller in the court of Marie Antoinette. Wagner fills in the blanks by providing exposition through Xanadu's inner thoughts and some pretty nifty splash pages.
While each segment can stand on its own, they work best when strung together. However, each one varies in its quality. The best of the bunch is easily the fourth, which takes place during Jack the Ripper's infamous crime spree on the streets of London. Madame Xanadu takes it upon herself to protect the prostitutes of Whitechapel. It's engrossing and wraps the narrative with an air of mystery, while also heightening the tension as Jack the Ripper becomes more and more vicious in his attacks. Artist Hadley also does an impeccable job capturing the muddied gothic aesthetic of the era. Although, to be fair she also manages to perfectly incapsulate the opulence of Marie Antoinette's reign and the whimsicality of King Arthur's Camelot. Still, both she and Wagner seem to struggle with the final segment set in the Depression era New York City. Unlike previous segments, it's not based in any one historical (or mythological) event in time. Instead, it's focused on a brief affair Xanadu has with Golden Age hero Giovanni Zatara.
Put simply, Madame Xanadu: Disenchanted is a joy to read. It's a unique take on a character who has long been relegated to the fringes of DC Comics' mainstream universe. Publisher Vertigo and the team of Wagner and Hadley place her firmly in the spotlight, proving that she's multi-dimensional and compelling as a heroine. Disenchanted's revisionist narrative is creative and absolutely engrossing. For fans of Justice League Dark, this will be one throwback reading that is obligatory!
RATING: A
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