Review: Doctor Fate by J.M. DeMatteis

Doctor Fate by J.M. DeMatteis by J.M. DeMatteis
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Mostly long and tedious, but some interesting moments and fun characters.

This was recommended by a friend who LOVED it, but he and I have very different opinions.

I think the main appeal of this one is that there are just not a lot of Dr Fate stories out there. This was a nice hefty run from DeMatteis, but it focuses on his own new version of Fate, rather than Kent Nelson. Kent's there, but he's taking the backseat as the cranky mentor here.

First and foremost, I had a problem with the new incarnation of Fate. This time around, Fate is two people, whose love allows them to bond and be stronger together. The relationship between the two was too weird for me, so I found their love more disturbing than powerful.

Then there's also the fact that they actually don't work well together. They're constantly bickering and mess things up because they can't agree on how to control Fate. Everything about their relationship feels forced and uncomfortable.

But!

There are some great supporting characters, by which I mean Petey, the demon-dog. Without him, my rating would be generous at one star. He is the main reason I was able to stick with it and get through the whole 700+ pages. Kent also was entertaining, as were some of the villains.

For the most part, I found the whole thing tiresome and odd. When non-Jesus showed up, I basically lost all respect.

This is a hefty slog that will really only appeal to those desperate for a solo Dr Fate tale. It takes a lot of work to get through, and while there are some entertaining moments almost none of them revolve around what Dr Fate is doing.

Ultimately, this was a disappointment that I wouldn't recommend unless you're specifically after a Dr Fate solo outing.

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