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Madame Xanadu #4
Madame Xanadu, Volume 4: Extra Sensory
Writer Matt Wagner redefines the way we think about the five senses in Madame Xanadu, Volume 4: Extra Sensory; a 6-issue storyline featuring different interior art each issue by some of today's most talented female comics artists and covers by Mark Buckingham (Fables).
This fourth, and final, volume finds Madame Xanadu in 1963 New York City, where she encounters a young woman from Harlem who sees horrific metamorphoses right in front of her eyes. It all leads to a mind-reading ad executive, a woman who gets visions of her food's demise and a young boy whose powerful sense of smell may hold the key to unlocking a mystery.
Collecting: Madame Xanadu 24-29
This fourth, and final, volume finds Madame Xanadu in 1963 New York City, where she encounters a young woman from Harlem who sees horrific metamorphoses right in front of her eyes. It all leads to a mind-reading ad executive, a woman who gets visions of her food's demise and a young boy whose powerful sense of smell may hold the key to unlocking a mystery.
Collecting: Madame Xanadu 24-29
144 pages, Paperback
First published August 16, 2011
About the author
Matt Wagner
963 books238 followersMatt Wagner is an American comic book writer and artist. In addition to his creator-owned series' Mage and Grendel, he has also worked on comics featuring The Demon and Batman as well as such titles as Sandman Mystery Theatre and Trinity, a DC Comics limited series featuring Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 23, 2018
I enjoyed this book immensely. It is wonderful to have a series about tarot and other phenomena that I am interested in. It was really well done. There are 6 stories in this volume, each with a different cast accept madame Xanadu. Each chapter explores someone whose perception opens. There is hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, smelling, and the 3rd eye or precognition. In each case the person's life gets weird and Madame Xanadu helps them deal with their new gift.
Fantastic series. It is set in the 60s and the art gives it that 60s feel. I am going to have to see if I can find the first 3 volumes of this as my library only has this one. Anyone into the extraordinary - this is a great story for you.
It simply makes me happy.
Fantastic series. It is set in the 60s and the art gives it that 60s feel. I am going to have to see if I can find the first 3 volumes of this as my library only has this one. Anyone into the extraordinary - this is a great story for you.
It simply makes me happy.
July 9, 2012
The final volume of Wagner's Madame Xanadu changes its style once again, and does something incredible while using Nemue very sparely. Volume 4 of Madame Xanadu has the gorgeous feel of a creator-owned book and this makes all the difference here.
The focus of this collection isn't necessarily Wagner's stories, but the collection of artiists that were assembled to collaborate. An all female lineup of artists is a step in the right direction for DC, who, like Marvel, isn't the most friendly company when it comes to using female artists or writers. All 6 of these issues have female artists bringing Wagner's scripts to life. Each issue is a self-contained story, revolving around one specific character which has little to d with Madame Xanadu until the resolution. This didn't bother me iin the slightest. It was fantastic to see how each artist took on the art chores. Marley Zarcone, Laurenn McCubbin, Chrissie Zullo, Celia Calle, Marian Churchland and Amy Reeder bring such gorgeous visuals to this book that the stories seemed secondary.
A gorgeous end to a great series.
Writing: B
Art: A
The focus of this collection isn't necessarily Wagner's stories, but the collection of artiists that were assembled to collaborate. An all female lineup of artists is a step in the right direction for DC, who, like Marvel, isn't the most friendly company when it comes to using female artists or writers. All 6 of these issues have female artists bringing Wagner's scripts to life. Each issue is a self-contained story, revolving around one specific character which has little to d with Madame Xanadu until the resolution. This didn't bother me iin the slightest. It was fantastic to see how each artist took on the art chores. Marley Zarcone, Laurenn McCubbin, Chrissie Zullo, Celia Calle, Marian Churchland and Amy Reeder bring such gorgeous visuals to this book that the stories seemed secondary.
A gorgeous end to a great series.
Writing: B
Art: A
August 23, 2012
Extra Sensory is the fourth and final volume in the Madame Xanadu series. Unlike previous volumes, which told of Madame Xanadu's history, Extra Sensory collects six short stories. Each tale focuses around a single sense. Not all stories are created equal, making this the most uneven of the Madame Xanadu graphic novels, but the collection as a whole is solid, capturing different elements of the sixties, and giving us a glimpse of things to come.
“None so Blind” (art- Marley Zarcone)- The first story focuses on a young woman named Rosalyn who develops a disturbing ability related to sight, then turns to Madame Xanadu for help. “None so Blind” does a good job of telling a creepy supernatural tale, while lightly touching on the more realistic issue of how living life as a black woman in the 1960s was not very easy, with very few career opportunities. I found the art to be attractive, and Rosalyn to be a likable protagonist. Four and a half stars.
“Dirty Little Mouth” (art- Laurenn McCubbin)- During the second story, we meet Spenser Wilkins, an up and coming young businessman in the ad industry, who doesn't know what to do when the people around him begin to tell him to do awful things. At least, that's what he's hearing. I wasn't really fond of the artwork on in “Dirty Little Mouth,” finding it too bulky. Still, this Mad Men-esque story is quite enjoyable to read and I really liked the ending. Four stars.
“Lingering Scent” (art- Chrissie Zullo). Perhaps the saddest of the stories in this collection, “Lingering Scent” tells the story of a young homeless boy who can't find a way to fit in, due the fact that the people around him can't stand how he smells. What I enjoyed the most about the story, was the artwork, which reminded me of a picture book. This was really appropriate given the fantastical dreams little Sammy has where he becomes a hero, haunted by a witch. This is my favorite story of the bunch. The bittersweet ending with Sammy and Madame Xanadu was really heart wrenching. Five stars.
“Don't Touch Me There” (art- Celia Calle)- It's interesting that my favorite story in the collection would be followed by my least favorite. “Don't Touch Me There” focuses around Blue, an unemotional fashion model with strange abilities related to her touch. I don't necessarily think that this was a poorly done story, just not a good one for me. I had no interest in Blue as a character, and the fashion inspired artwork, filled with unique angles, didn't mesh well with me. One enjoyable aspect of this story is getting to figure out what real life people from the 1960s inspired the fictional ones (Roosevelt Coats is clearly supposed to be Truman Capote). Three stars
“A Taste of Things to Come” (art- Marian Churchland)- I figured it wouldn't be long until hippies were brought into this sixties themed collection. In this story, Carly, experiments with acid. Afterwords, whenever she eats something, she feels it's entire history with overwhelming intensity. One thing I liked about this story was how well the artwork fit the mood, weather it be illustrating Carly's crazy acid trip, or the barrage of sensation she feels with every following taste. This was an enjoyable addition to the collection. Four stars.
“The Advent of Tomorrow” (art- Amy Reeder Hadley)- In the final story of the collection, series artist Amy Reeder Hadley returns for a tale that's ties up some loose threads (want to know what happened to Betty from Broken House of Cards?) as well as hints to come. I'm a little disappointed that series has to wrap up here, but this is a rather appropriate place to end it. I enjoyed the appearance from past characters (especially one in particular) and found the art to be fantastic as always. Four and a half stars.
One might expect a series to end on epic battles and big emotional highs as Broken House of Cards did, but Extra Sensory's quiet finale is fitting, if somewhat unconventional. After all Madame Xanadu's greatest work is the help that she provides to others, so it makes sense that the series would end on a volume showing her interacting with various clients. I'm sad to see the series end, but I'm happy it at least ended on an enjoyable note.
“None so Blind” (art- Marley Zarcone)- The first story focuses on a young woman named Rosalyn who develops a disturbing ability related to sight, then turns to Madame Xanadu for help. “None so Blind” does a good job of telling a creepy supernatural tale, while lightly touching on the more realistic issue of how living life as a black woman in the 1960s was not very easy, with very few career opportunities. I found the art to be attractive, and Rosalyn to be a likable protagonist. Four and a half stars.
“Dirty Little Mouth” (art- Laurenn McCubbin)- During the second story, we meet Spenser Wilkins, an up and coming young businessman in the ad industry, who doesn't know what to do when the people around him begin to tell him to do awful things. At least, that's what he's hearing. I wasn't really fond of the artwork on in “Dirty Little Mouth,” finding it too bulky. Still, this Mad Men-esque story is quite enjoyable to read and I really liked the ending. Four stars.
“Lingering Scent” (art- Chrissie Zullo). Perhaps the saddest of the stories in this collection, “Lingering Scent” tells the story of a young homeless boy who can't find a way to fit in, due the fact that the people around him can't stand how he smells. What I enjoyed the most about the story, was the artwork, which reminded me of a picture book. This was really appropriate given the fantastical dreams little Sammy has where he becomes a hero, haunted by a witch. This is my favorite story of the bunch. The bittersweet ending with Sammy and Madame Xanadu was really heart wrenching. Five stars.
“Don't Touch Me There” (art- Celia Calle)- It's interesting that my favorite story in the collection would be followed by my least favorite. “Don't Touch Me There” focuses around Blue, an unemotional fashion model with strange abilities related to her touch. I don't necessarily think that this was a poorly done story, just not a good one for me. I had no interest in Blue as a character, and the fashion inspired artwork, filled with unique angles, didn't mesh well with me. One enjoyable aspect of this story is getting to figure out what real life people from the 1960s inspired the fictional ones (Roosevelt Coats is clearly supposed to be Truman Capote). Three stars
“A Taste of Things to Come” (art- Marian Churchland)- I figured it wouldn't be long until hippies were brought into this sixties themed collection. In this story, Carly, experiments with acid. Afterwords, whenever she eats something, she feels it's entire history with overwhelming intensity. One thing I liked about this story was how well the artwork fit the mood, weather it be illustrating Carly's crazy acid trip, or the barrage of sensation she feels with every following taste. This was an enjoyable addition to the collection. Four stars.
“The Advent of Tomorrow” (art- Amy Reeder Hadley)- In the final story of the collection, series artist Amy Reeder Hadley returns for a tale that's ties up some loose threads (want to know what happened to Betty from Broken House of Cards?) as well as hints to come. I'm a little disappointed that series has to wrap up here, but this is a rather appropriate place to end it. I enjoyed the appearance from past characters (especially one in particular) and found the art to be fantastic as always. Four and a half stars.
One might expect a series to end on epic battles and big emotional highs as Broken House of Cards did, but Extra Sensory's quiet finale is fitting, if somewhat unconventional. After all Madame Xanadu's greatest work is the help that she provides to others, so it makes sense that the series would end on a volume showing her interacting with various clients. I'm sad to see the series end, but I'm happy it at least ended on an enjoyable note.
January 10, 2018
I have mixed feelings about this volume. The ending is rather strong, but the first independent story-line issues weren't as strong. They took away the cohesiveness I'd come to expect of Madame Xanadu. What's cool though is the cliffhanger ending of this volume and the cameo appearance of 'The Stranger.' His appearance in the first volume was a delight and I didn't anticipate missing him so much until I saw him appear again. His appearance after so long heralds some really evil shit afoot. Can't wait to read the next volumes and see what's cooking.
October 1, 2016
Reprints Madame Xanadu #24-29 (August 2010-January 2011). Madame Xanadu has existed for centuries…from her time in pre-history to modern day, Madame Xanadu has seen and experienced things that most have only dreamed about. As Madame Xanadu seeks to help those who have experienced hardship due to mystic attacks, she finds herself continuously brought into the strange and occult…and now Madame Xanadu might have found an assistant to help her.
Written by Matt Wagner, Madame Xanadu Volume 4: Extra-Sensory was released by DC Comics under their Vertigo imprint. Following Madame Xanadu Volume 3: Broken House of Cards, Madame Xanadu 4: Extra-Sensory is the final volume in the series.
Madame Xanadu is a fun ride. I like the character, and I like Matt Wagner’s writing. He takes the character and puts her in a place where she is almost an observer in the lives of the characters in the story she’s watching. It is very similar to old House of Mystery and House of Secret issues or even reminiscent of The Sandman. Unfortunately for Madame Xanadu, she didn’t have as long of a run.
This volume takes the story and looks at the different senses. Each story is based upon a sense and the series is finished with a wrap-up issue. The stories are interesting and generally self-contained (minus the overreaching theme), and it does feel like an ending for the series. It also wraps up a small storyline which began in Madame Xanadu 3: Broken House of Cards by revealing what happened to Betty Reynolds after her possession.
What really stands out in this volume of Madame Xanadu is the art. The book is loaded with fun art and with different artists on each issue, you get to see a ton of different styles that generally wouldn’t make it into a mainstream comic. In particular, I like Chrisie Zullo’s issue (Madame Xanadu #26) which deals with sense of smell.
Madame Xanadu was always a second tier book in DC’s Vertigo line which is generally treated as a second tier line…this always spells trouble for a series in that situation. Despite great writing and good art, it felt like Madame Xanadu just limped around with little help from DC in promoting it. The character was part of the DC/Vertigo mesh which ultimately led to the cancellation despite modest sales. It is sad to see this series go since it feels more like DC’s ’90s Vertigo series like The Sandman. With Madame Xanadu coming back in full force in the New 52, I’d love to see the character get another chance (or actually recon this series into the proper DC Universe through her recent
Written by Matt Wagner, Madame Xanadu Volume 4: Extra-Sensory was released by DC Comics under their Vertigo imprint. Following Madame Xanadu Volume 3: Broken House of Cards, Madame Xanadu 4: Extra-Sensory is the final volume in the series.
Madame Xanadu is a fun ride. I like the character, and I like Matt Wagner’s writing. He takes the character and puts her in a place where she is almost an observer in the lives of the characters in the story she’s watching. It is very similar to old House of Mystery and House of Secret issues or even reminiscent of The Sandman. Unfortunately for Madame Xanadu, she didn’t have as long of a run.
This volume takes the story and looks at the different senses. Each story is based upon a sense and the series is finished with a wrap-up issue. The stories are interesting and generally self-contained (minus the overreaching theme), and it does feel like an ending for the series. It also wraps up a small storyline which began in Madame Xanadu 3: Broken House of Cards by revealing what happened to Betty Reynolds after her possession.
What really stands out in this volume of Madame Xanadu is the art. The book is loaded with fun art and with different artists on each issue, you get to see a ton of different styles that generally wouldn’t make it into a mainstream comic. In particular, I like Chrisie Zullo’s issue (Madame Xanadu #26) which deals with sense of smell.
Madame Xanadu was always a second tier book in DC’s Vertigo line which is generally treated as a second tier line…this always spells trouble for a series in that situation. Despite great writing and good art, it felt like Madame Xanadu just limped around with little help from DC in promoting it. The character was part of the DC/Vertigo mesh which ultimately led to the cancellation despite modest sales. It is sad to see this series go since it feels more like DC’s ’90s Vertigo series like The Sandman. With Madame Xanadu coming back in full force in the New 52, I’d love to see the character get another chance (or actually recon this series into the proper DC Universe through her recent
October 14, 2016
The first four chapters in this book are standalone stories, in which someone needs Madame Xanadu's help. The artists for each of these stories is different, and some are better than others--but none hold a candle to Amy Reeder, who illustrates the second half of the final story.
Perhaps hindsight is 20/20, but knowing that this was the final volume, it felt to me as if the series were purposefully winding down. The standalone stories were rather uninspired, and seemed like filler issues while Matt Wagner waited for Amy Reeder to be available again so he could resume the actual story. I liked the final, two-part story in this volume, because it introduced the concept of a protégée for Madame Xanadu, and also because it answered the biggest question I had at the end of volume 3: namely, what happened to poor Betty?
I would've loved to read a fifth volume in which Madame Xanadu taught Carly Blackwood, her protégée, the secrets of the mystic arts. Alas, it was not to be.
Perhaps hindsight is 20/20, but knowing that this was the final volume, it felt to me as if the series were purposefully winding down. The standalone stories were rather uninspired, and seemed like filler issues while Matt Wagner waited for Amy Reeder to be available again so he could resume the actual story. I liked the final, two-part story in this volume, because it introduced the concept of a protégée for Madame Xanadu, and also because it answered the biggest question I had at the end of volume 3: namely, what happened to poor Betty?
I would've loved to read a fifth volume in which Madame Xanadu taught Carly Blackwood, her protégée, the secrets of the mystic arts. Alas, it was not to be.
December 14, 2016
Ending on a strong arc.
World: The art for this arc was the best of the series. The different artists, the styles made for a fun and enjoyable book. The world building was a but smaller in scope but that is not a bad thing, it was much more character driven and thus much more relatable to the reader.
Story: Many little small tales with Xanadu being somewhat of a side character and treated and handled well. Yes it did a bit like magic case of the month but it was done well the thing about these tales is that they have art and emotion which was not always the case for the series. The series of course ended too soon but I did rather like the ending and yes I wanted a bit more.
Characters: This was a strong character arc. Not for Xanadu but for the people she meets. For the most part the test of the cast has been fairly meh but for the stories here they had heart and relatabe situations making it good. I liked it.
A strong arc that makes you with there was more than 29 issues.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art for this arc was the best of the series. The different artists, the styles made for a fun and enjoyable book. The world building was a but smaller in scope but that is not a bad thing, it was much more character driven and thus much more relatable to the reader.
Story: Many little small tales with Xanadu being somewhat of a side character and treated and handled well. Yes it did a bit like magic case of the month but it was done well the thing about these tales is that they have art and emotion which was not always the case for the series. The series of course ended too soon but I did rather like the ending and yes I wanted a bit more.
Characters: This was a strong character arc. Not for Xanadu but for the people she meets. For the most part the test of the cast has been fairly meh but for the stories here they had heart and relatabe situations making it good. I liked it.
A strong arc that makes you with there was more than 29 issues.
Onward to the next book!
April 19, 2012
Probably the best of the four volumes of Madame Xanadu, so of course, it's also the last. Oddly, these last issues read almost like the beginning of a series, rather than the ending, demonstrating her powers, introducing a sidekick, and giving the series a little more structure than it had in it's previous issues.
The framing device of Xanadu solving problems related to the five senses (and, I suppose, her own senses beyond those five) is clever without being gimmicky and the stories are genuinely disturbing. The art, especially, is gorgeous, matching each story perfectly.
In a perfect world, I think I might have wanted to see a little more closure. The Phantom Stranger's final appearance didn't do much to resolve their issues. We never found out what happened to the rest of the items her sister was trying to collect. Were we ever supposed to know what was going to happen with the green genii's lamp from the first volume? Maybe, though, it's better to have a little ambiguity.
The framing device of Xanadu solving problems related to the five senses (and, I suppose, her own senses beyond those five) is clever without being gimmicky and the stories are genuinely disturbing. The art, especially, is gorgeous, matching each story perfectly.
In a perfect world, I think I might have wanted to see a little more closure. The Phantom Stranger's final appearance didn't do much to resolve their issues. We never found out what happened to the rest of the items her sister was trying to collect. Were we ever supposed to know what was going to happen with the green genii's lamp from the first volume? Maybe, though, it's better to have a little ambiguity.
January 24, 2015
The final volume of Matt Wagner's Vertigo Madame Xanadu series is a collection of six inter-related short stories, each with art by a different (female) artist. The stories mostly have a touch of the horrific, some are sad and some are creepy. The art is mostly okay, although Chrissie Zullo's children's book style contrasts ironically with the essence of the story she illustrates, and Celia Calle's angular and exaggerated style really doesn't fit with the rest of the book at all. Amy Reeder's return to the art chores for the final story is a welcome relief. Unlike the previous volumes, Madame Xanadu is a minor presence in these stories (except perhaps the last one), appearing generally at the end to provide an answer, solve a mystery, or wrap things up. Overall a decent series and one that may have ended too soon.
November 8, 2012
I had never really known or even been interested in the character of Madame Xanadu, to me she was mostly a go-to character other superheroes consulted once in a while, I had pretty much relegated her to the level of the Phantom Stranger... maybe even lesser than.
This all changed with the release of this book. I've been a long-time fan of Wagner from his Grendel and Mage books so I thought I'd give this a shot.
So basically, this up-to-now almost completely unknown character is given a past. And what a past it is! We witness her beginning and ascension from the dark ages to (eventually) today. I don't know if any of what was written in this book is actually considered "cannon", but I enjoyed the ride.
+ The art is just phenomenal!
This all changed with the release of this book. I've been a long-time fan of Wagner from his Grendel and Mage books so I thought I'd give this a shot.
So basically, this up-to-now almost completely unknown character is given a past. And what a past it is! We witness her beginning and ascension from the dark ages to (eventually) today. I don't know if any of what was written in this book is actually considered "cannon", but I enjoyed the ride.
+ The art is just phenomenal!
September 21, 2011
This is the final volume in the current Madame Xanadu series, and it remains some of Matt Wagner's best writing since his days on his creator owned Grendel and the first volume of Mage. The Madame is a supporting character in these tales, each one centering on a sense (taste, touch, etc.) Each story is a done in one tale and the artists change with each installment. Satisfying, and a nice way for the series to end. Open ended enough so that Wagner could return to it if sales or other factors provide him the opportunity.
April 7, 2013
I adored the theme of the 'senses' in this volume and the stories were absolutely incredible from start to finish, some were even a little heartbreaking. Each sense story had different artists and they were all fabulous in their own way. The ending includes a return to the main story of Xanadu and reappearance of the Phantom Stranger, I'm only disappointed that this is the last volume in the series! It's so different and interesting with great female characters. I would love to see more of Madame Xanadu.
January 25, 2012
I like the concept of little vignettes each drawn by female artists about Madame Xanadu helping (or trying to help people). But unlike House of Mystery, there was no thread that wove them together, and some of the art was so stylized I couldn't focus on the fact that it was a Madame Xanadu story. All was forgiven in the end, drawn by the original and my favorite artist, Amy Reeder Hadley, which tied it together and had the Phantom Stranger and an open ending.
December 17, 2012
Quite a nice collection of vignettes spanning the decade of 1960 - 1969; the parade of prominent female illustrators is excellent, although the series' regular artist, Amy Reeder, remains my favorite. So this was issues 24 - 29, and I'm a bit disappointed that the series is concluded here. What a shame...
September 16, 2011
A wonderful ending to an awesome series! Madame Xanadu has always been the enigmatic guide in the DCU. The stories in this book showcase her role in the world. The final story ends just before the modern heroes begin making their appearance bringing her story to when we first met her so long ago.
February 23, 2011
Some of these stories worried me, scared me and touched me.
Wonderful end to the series. I wish it could continue.
Wonderful end to the series. I wish it could continue.
November 19, 2011
Another series ends. Sad.
January 17, 2013
Amy Reeder was absent for most of the issues in this collection, and not all of the substitutes were to my taste.
April 29, 2013
The best Madame Xanadu ever. Independent stories get interwoven with a purpose in the end. Just love it.
July 2, 2013
The grouping of the stories by the senses is a little trite, but some of the stories manage to rise above that. Nonetheless, this is a somewhat disappointing conclusion to a generally strong series.
February 24, 2018
I don't really read comics, but this book was on display right next to a comic book I was picking up at the library, and the cover looked intriguing, so I figured I'd grab it. This book is the last in a series but because most of the stories, except for the last couple pages, are stand alone I don't think it really matters that I hadn't read the previous 4 (?) in the series. The first story (sight) is hella pointless: a young woman in Harlem suddenly sees visions of gruesome injuries, goes to Madame Xanadu, who tells her they're warnings, she sees her family burnt to a crisp and sends them away to save them from an apartment fire, the end. Also, idk if Matt Wagner is a black man, but the writing in this seemed a little... iffy if he's not, the dialogue is written a lot like a white person's conjuring of AAVE. The second story (hearing) is a little cooler, and the art direction is a little better. I hated the art in the 3rd story (smell), and I thought it was super cheesy: basically a little vagrant boy wanders around until Madame Xanadu sets him to rest. The 4th story (touch) is by far my favourite: the art is gorgeous, and it tells the tale of a succubus living as a Factory Girl/muse in the 60s - it's super cool. The 5th story (taste) has a cool premise (a woman can see/empathise with the entire life cycle of whatever it is she's eating - a burger makes her live out the life cycle of a calf born for slaughter, an orange gives her insight to the labour conditions of fruit pickers) and I think the art was at its best during those moments too, but the actual main character and her life I had zero stake in. The end I didn't really care about because I'm not invested in this series.
September 20, 2023
At some point between volumes three and four of Madame Xanadu, Matt Wagner forgot to write interesting comics.
The opening story is mostly queasy because of the way Wagner writes people of color. It's not bigot racist, it's institutionally racist but it's pretty bad. Cheap dialect is the biggest problem. There's some xamples of this in some of Wagner's work in Sandman Mystery Theatre Book One but that book was written twenty years earlier, and about the 1930s, so I'm more understanding about how Wagner wasn't yet aware of co-opting an inauthentic voice. It's less reflective of the way people of color actually talked in that era, and more reflective of the way white people wrote people of color's dialog in that era. By 2010, he should have known better.
Excluding that issue, the problems are more just that the stories are trying very hard to be dark, edgy one-offs where characters all discover some hideous power that negatively affects their lives until Madame Xanadu shows up and helps them solve them.
It's boring. It's fomulaic. It's embarrassingly hacky in comparison to Wagner's other work. If you;ve been reading and enjoying the Madame Xanadu series, I recommend pretending volume three was the final collection.
The opening story is mostly queasy because of the way Wagner writes people of color. It's not bigot racist, it's institutionally racist but it's pretty bad. Cheap dialect is the biggest problem. There's some xamples of this in some of Wagner's work in Sandman Mystery Theatre Book One but that book was written twenty years earlier, and about the 1930s, so I'm more understanding about how Wagner wasn't yet aware of co-opting an inauthentic voice. It's less reflective of the way people of color actually talked in that era, and more reflective of the way white people wrote people of color's dialog in that era. By 2010, he should have known better.
Excluding that issue, the problems are more just that the stories are trying very hard to be dark, edgy one-offs where characters all discover some hideous power that negatively affects their lives until Madame Xanadu shows up and helps them solve them.
It's boring. It's fomulaic. It's embarrassingly hacky in comparison to Wagner's other work. If you;ve been reading and enjoying the Madame Xanadu series, I recommend pretending volume three was the final collection.
June 30, 2024
Rating this volume a little lower. It's still very good. 8.8/10.
I admire the concept of a series of standalone stories featuring new or up and coming artists, but the main strength of the previous volumes was the multi-chapter story arc.
Still, I love this character, Matt Wagner, Amy Reeder, Michael Kaluta, Guy Davis, and all the people who worked on this series, and I am glad I finally got around to reading it!
I strongly recommend this series!
I admire the concept of a series of standalone stories featuring new or up and coming artists, but the main strength of the previous volumes was the multi-chapter story arc.
Still, I love this character, Matt Wagner, Amy Reeder, Michael Kaluta, Guy Davis, and all the people who worked on this series, and I am glad I finally got around to reading it!
I strongly recommend this series!
December 11, 2018
I originally wasn’t sure I liked this volume as much but then everything from all of the previous volumes came together and I just flew through it! I believe this is setting up for the Justice League era. I loved the ending but I wish there was more to the series!! I guess I’ll have to find volumes with her in them in other character’s series.
September 26, 2020
This last collection of vignettes were so good, they reminded me very much of Sandman. I'm definitely disappointed that this series ended here, I think it was finally starting to pick up steam and really find its voice.
December 12, 2023
The pictures were goryyyyy which is probably the reason for the missing star. I couldn't eat while reading it. But the stories were fascinating and I loved Madame Xanadu. She is officially up there with the Green Arrow in my list of favorites
November 9, 2024
I really didn't like the multiple short stories. It was nice to see the Stranger make an appearance, but it just wasn't satisfying. I wish there had been more similarities to the art style of the first volume.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2019
It contains some great stories.
February 11, 2021
Better, but not great.
November 26, 2019
Wganer’s Madame Xanadu was cancelled at issue 29, and reading this final volume, I would guess it was cancelled abruptly. It starts with a series of five interconnected issues, each dealing with a patient of Xanadu’s whose senses are out of whack. It’s a cool idea, with at least one great story in the bunch. Then issue 29 hits. I know it’s not really Wagner’s fault that his series got cancelled as it did, but the last issue is all over the place in trying to wrap up plotlines; it’s never fun to read a comic like this. Still – and it saddens me to say this – I don’t think Wagner made Madame Xanadu all that compelling with this series. I enjoy DC's supernatural characters, but some of them, like Madame Xanadu, aren't cut out for a great solo comic.
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