They’re known as The Envoy, and they thought that their family was dead. But you can’t view things in such stark terms in the spirit world. Your Major Spoilers review of Spirit World #2 from DC Comics awaits!
SPIRIT WORLD #2
Writer: Alyssa Wong
Artist: Haining
Colorist: Sebastian Cheng
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Editor: Jessica Chen
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3,99
Release Date: June 13, 2023
Previously in Spirit World: With Cassandra Cain still stuck in the Spirit World, Xanthe and Constantine are hoping the one portal they’ve found (which is quickly closing) is their one-way ticket to the land of the dead to help rescue Batgirl! Cass has made two spirit friends along the way who have given her a special cloak that helps mask her living-flesh stench to keep the other spirits from eating her… but can they be trusted?
And hey, what’s in this tea that they just gave her?
FAMILY REUNION
After meeting their mother at the end of the last issue, The Envoy and Constantine have agreed to stay for dinner, but it’s more awkward than anyone imagined, especially when Mrs. Zhao keeps dead-naming Xanthe. It finally becomes too much, and Xanthe decides to walk, only for them to realize too late that their mother is going to keep The Envoy in any way possible… including magic! Of course, the binding talismans are name-based magic, and since they won’t use their name, Xanthe is able to walk right through them. At the same time, on the other side, Cassandra Cain and her new friends find themselves under siege by spirits who were once friendly, all under the command of Shen, who is a nine-tailed fox. Shen has a surprise for Cassandra/Batgirl, revealing that they’ve met before, when Batgirl was dead! Constantine and Xanthe set out once more to find Batgirl, only to discover that Xanthe’s little sister is their undiscovered link between worlds. Oh, and if you’re going to go someplace where angry ghosts might arrive?
You definitely do not want to go there with the Hellblazer.
ALSO: BATGIRL’S DEAD
My favorite touch in this issue is actually a visual gag, as every time the Zhaos try to use Xanthe’s abandoned name, the word balloon shows only a dark, vicious scribble. It’s a nice visual reminder of the reality that their identity isn’t negotiable, which then becomes a plot point when they are able to escape the binding spell. There are also cameos by John’s lost fiancé and several deceased friends, all of which are just plain terrifying. Haining’s art is chilling in that sequence, which is very interesting, as this issue also gives us the absolute prettiest John Constantine ever committed to paper. There is real beauty here, shown during The Envoy’s origin story, but even that is the depiction of a small child dying in a storm. That dichotomy is seen all through the story, which makes the final splash page even more effective, as John and Xanthe arrive in the spirit world only to be attacked by a monster.
BOTTOM LINE: AN ENJOYABLE BOOK
Much like the first chapter, Spirit World #2 is as much an exploration of The Envoy as a character as it is an adventure book, but it also works on that level, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. I am hoping that there’s more Spirit World after this six-issue series ends, if only for more explorations of the Chinese mythology at its core (but also because the world needs more Xanthe.)
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