Review: Madame Xanadu - Exodus Noir

It’s the 1940s in New York City, and clairvoyant Madame Xanadu has been hired to investigate the mysterious death of a businessman. She soon discovers that he the victim of an ancient curse, one which threatens to destroy the lives of three prominent New York families.

Madame Xanadu: Exodus Noir collects Madame Xanadu #11-15, written by Matt Wagner and illustrated by Michael Wm. Kaluta.

In Exodus Noir, Wagner juxtaposes the bustling streets of 1940s New York City with the dusty roads of 15^th century Spain to weave a brilliant follow-up to his epic ten issue introductory arc. Picking up shortly where we left her last, Madame Xanadu has opened up shop in Greenwich Village and has become a popular fortune teller through word-of-mouth. The bulk of the story deals with her investigation into the death of a client’s father. It is presented in such a way that it pays homage to the noir genre, positing Madame Xanadu as the hard-boiled detective in search of the truth. The subplot takes place in the past, showing Madame Xanadu taking up residence in Spain with a seamstress as her lover and companion. Despite her living comfortably and happily in this setting, it’s become quite clear that the nation’s religious leaders are threatening to disturb her quietude.

Religious extremism and scapegoating is at the centre of Wagner’s tale. For a magic user and sexually liberated woman like Madame Xanadu, this spells trouble. The sequences set in Spain are infuriating and frustrating, as we see a nation overrun by religious leaders who use their power to condemn and murder anyone who is unlike them. Wagner uses these themes to his advantage, as he shows how events in the past continue to resonate decades and even centuries later. We see how passivity, assimilation and finger pointing only begets more violence, leading to oppression and grudges that last for years. Specifically, Wagner highlights the consequences that stem from the Catholics’ condemnation of the Jews. He painstakingly details the brutal acts committed upon the Jews and how, even when assimilated, they are never truly free. All of this, as you can imagine, informs Madame Xanadu’s investigation in the ‘40s.

While the writing itself is of a tremendously high quality, the art doesn’t quite reach the same level. While Michael Wm. Kaluta is to be given credit for having been Madame Xanadu’s original artistic creator, it seems that the years have not been quite so kind to him. His illustrations in this collection are rough and don’t properly capture the eras being written about. His art lacks the whimsical qualities and adaptability of his predecessor Amy Reeder, whose work on the previous collection was beautiful in every sense of the word. Kaluta’s lack of character definition and the overall unattractive Neanderthal-like qualities to them make it difficult at times to fully enjoy this trade.

Like the preceding collection, Exodus Noir is perfect for fans of historical narratives. While it lacks the same kind of epic scale and expansive qualities, it is still a thrilling read nonetheless. Wagner continues to build on Madame Xanadu’s character, giving her qualities fit for any champion of the people. Incorporating elements of noir, themes social injustice and religious intolerance, as well as adding a heaping dose of magic, Wagner creates a not-to-miss story that builds perfectly on the foundation of his first ten issues.

RATING: B+