This is Spirit World. The Prime Writer is Alyssa Wong. The Other Writer is Jeremy Holt. The Prime Illustrator is Haining. The Other Illustrator is Andrew Drilon. The Prime Colorist is Sebastian Cheng. The Other Colorist is also Andrew Drilon. The Prime Letterer is Janice Chiang. The Other Letterer are Steve Wands and Lucas Gattoni. This book is part of the We Are Legends initiative, which is used to spotlight both writers and characters of Asian descent. Trigger Warning: This book contains elements that one may find disturbing such as frightening imagery, deadnaming, discrimination based on gender identity, familial trauma, body horror, and blood. Reader discretion is advised. This book follows Xanthe Zhou, a nonbinary superhero who needs to go on a rescue mission. Cassandra Cain, one of the Batgirls, was pulled into the Spirit World, with no way of getting back. So, Xanthe, along with fellow purveyor of the mystic arts, John Constantine, have vowed to get her back to the living world. But, in order to get Cassandra back, Xanthe must face ghosts, demons, and their own unsupportive family. Will Xanthe rescue Cassandra Cain, and how is Cassandra reacting to the Spirit World?
This book was absolutely amazing. Out of every installment of this We Are Legends initiative, this one holds the best new character. I felt that Xanthe Zhou was actually allowed to be a likable hero in this book. In the other We Are Legends superheroes; we don’t really get that. The Vigil are shown more as a morally grey government agency group. They have good intentions, but they are shown as not the best people. City Boy is in a similar boat. He starts off as an asshole, and his arc is getting him to fit in that likeable hero mold. Xanthe starts as a likeable hero, and they end as a likeable hero. That doesn’t mean they don’t have problems, but they face them with bravery and confidence, which is what I want to see out of a heroic character. One other thing is that I absolutely adore the Spirit World and its overall aesthetic. Every single area and design in this world looked truly incredible and unique. The actual spirits’ designs looked so fun and explosive that adds that much more to the story. It also adds we haven’t really seen with the DC Universe up until this point, which is greatly appreciated.
Spoiler Alert: One thing that I have already mentioned about Xanthe is that they are nonbinary. This is shown as a key factor of Xanthe’s identity, but, for the most part, it isn’t mentioned all that often, except for a specific plot point. Near the beginning of this story, Xanthe runs into their family, after losing them while they were a child. There is one major problem with this little reunion, Xanthe’s mother does not acknowledge or respect their gender identity. To the point that Xanthe’s mother still uses their deadname. One thing about this plot point that I found particularly well done would be how the deadname is handled. Although members of Xanthe’s family use the deadname many times, we never actually see what it is. Instead of the name being written, it is represented through this symbol, which looks like a rigid and scraggly scribble. I found this to be the smartest way to go about this topic. If I understand correctly, deadnaming is one of the most dreadful and disrespectful actions you can do to someone who is gender nonconforming. So, representing that as such, in a written form, without actually stating the name, is quite clever. It gets the point across and doesn’t give anyone with malicious intentions any ammo. I also like how it implements into the story, where Xanthe states that their deadname never represented who they are. That causes the deadname to never fully formulate itself to the audience, which is fitting for what it represents. It is also important to get these topics to people who might be ignorant, especially so since Alyssa Wong is nonbinary themselves.
Another Spoiler Warning: Another of the more key factors of this book are the antagonists. There are multiple in this book. The most important one would be a spirit of mangled proportions. She is a wounded woman, who holds the mangled features of undead green skin, the look of mold all around her body, and a multitude of eyes on her. She also holds the unnerving ability to absorb other spirits into her being, in a sense corrupting them. She has used this ability to gain more power, in order to properly challenge the second antagonistic force in this story, The Jade Court. This court is a league of the most powerful spirits within The Spirit World. Made up of The Carmine Star, The Prince of Dawn, The Cobalt Advisor, The Midnight Eye, The Verdant Sorceress, Snowfall Blade, The Amber Apostle, and the one we see the most of in this story, The Gilded General. Each one of these beings was able to hold this much power in The Spirit World because of the influence they had in life. Which, in a sense, is why the wounded woman wanted to fight against them so badly. She lost most of her influence before she died, which causes her not even to remember her name. This caused her to fight against the privileged spirits, who got where they were because of what position they had before they died. I really enjoy this entire dynamic of antagonists because it represents the social injustices facing our world today in a more mythical sense. It’s a fun way to introduce real world issues in this fictional story.
The art for this book is in a world of its own (get it). This is the first time I really gotten to experience Haining’s artwork and it is masterfully done. I absolutely adore how Haining does the different spirits within the Spirit World. It all looks so mystical and unique, which makes for an addicting look. The action scenes are all slick and dynamic. The body horror sequences all look gross and horrifying. The coloring, primarily done by Sebastian Cheng, is beautiful and really adds a sense of vibrancy. Overall, the art for this book is creative and brilliant.
Overall, this book surprised me with how good it was. The story is an exciting and engaging piece of literature, that makes you eager to see what happens next. The main character, Xanthe Zhou, is a heroic and confident figure, but still has their personal adversities. The personal elements of Xanthe are quite sympathetic and raise topics that are quite topical. This descriptor also pertains to the antagonists and their constant dynamics. The art is really something to behold, with both technical craft and vibrant colors. Overall, this is an utterly amazing read, and I would recommend it to anyone.