Once you've seen the future, can you fix the past? That's the question of the Ages.
Randy:
One of the perks of this reviewing gig is getting to see new projects before they're out, and this time out, Don and I are taking a look at an advance project that hasn't even been solicited yet, the independently-published Ages I: Age of Darkness, from Second Wave Studios.
Don:
Jose Loeri, the top dog at Second Wave, sent along an oversized black-and-white photocopied preview of the first issue of this three-part limited series for review. It's full of imagination and energy, and while it's clear that we're looking at the work of rookie creators, their enthusiasm helps to draw one into the story.
Ages: The Age of Darkness
published by Second Wave Studios
written by Jim Keplinger
illustrated by Frankie B. Washington & Keri Luiz
lettered by Dave Hyatt
edited by Mairi St. Thomas
Don:
In a far-flung future, the Terran Block has lost a cosmic war with Akren Union. In an attempt to circumvent the conflict, the Terran leader, Ma'Toc, asks a friend of his to help rewrite history in the Terrans' favor. Since his best friend just happens to be the Custodian of Time, it's doable. But mucking about with time is messy work, and if the Custodian's unpredictable manipulations weren't problem enough, the Akren Union has engaged its own temporal agent as well.
Randy:
I usually object to the use of the "cosmic reset button" in the ending of a story, but using it at the very beginning? Interesting. Ages is part super-hero comic, part fantasy comic and part science-fiction comic, and Keplinger's unusual premise hooked my attention almost immediately. The notion of changing history to prevent something horrible is not unknown, but the idea of rewriting history entirely from the beginning after starting at the end is not one I've seen very often.
Don:
If I had to sum the story up with one word, it would be "ambitious." The immensity of what the plot entails is impressive. Keplinger promises to look at the rising of 30 metahuman dynasties in a new human history. Ambitious, indeed. In fact, as impressive as it is, it might be too large for small-press episodic fiction. The writer asks a lot of his audience. There are a lot of characters and historical reference to follow... perhaps a little too much.
Randy:
I was quite taken with Keplinger's narrator, a plain-speaking guardian of time who talks to the reader as if the reader was his older self, unaware of his time powers and responsibilities. That casual, conversational tone makes the somewhat bizarre elements of the story easier to swallow, and more to the point, some of the less clear aspects of the art less of a weakness of a story. He's also probably the best developed character in the book, because the others often get only two or three pages of development. Keplinger's story covers a lot of ground, in various time periods, and so it's almost more of an overview than a full-on story.
Don:
I enjoyed the more casual tone of the script as well. It really gave one a feel for the two main characters: the Custodian and Ma'Toc. Mind you, the script could have used another key element: stronger copy-editing. It's a pet peeve of mine.
Randy:
The time-hopping is a strength and a weakness. As readers, we're getting a view of this big story from the top, so we can see how the changes in time, the development of paranormal-ruled empires, is changing history as it unfolds. However, we're also not seeing the consequences of a lot of this, or how it affects the people, and so we remain at an emotional distance from the whole thing. Keplinger's story would have been stronger if he had brought the reader into it on a more personal level, letting us get to know the characters who live in this world, rather than the character who lives outside of it. And I did have one other complaint about the story, as well: the inclusion of an opposite number of our narrator, which makes this a battle of two time-traveling characters as much as the story of a new evolution. Given how much story material and conflict is available just in mucking with time, the notion of an adversary seemed a little too traditional.
Don:
The complexities of the plot are further complicated by some difficult-to-decipher artwork. I like Washington's overall style, but he needs to work with a separate inker, as he seems to approach his own pencils far too heavily. It was quite hard to make out characters and shapes in what is some thoroughly dark artwork. Maybe Washington is tring to foster a foreboding atmosphere, but it doesn't work. Detail is lost in the shadows. And if I had trouble making things out in this oversized preview copy, I can't imagine how much the visual elements will blend together in the usual comic-book size format. Maybe when the final product is presented in color, the art will gain more focus.
Randy:
I wish that I could be as complimentary to the artwork as I was to the story, but while Washington is certainly not a bad artist, his clarity could use a lot of work. To be fair, he's being asked to pack a lot of story into these pages, and as a result he's forced into using small panels that don't give him much room to breathe, but more often than not, I had to look to the narrative captions rather than the artwork to figure out what was going on. I see a lot of potential in the artwork, but with so many tiny panels and a lot of lettering overlapping them, it's not always the easiest to read.
Don:
This first Ages limited series -- scheduled for release in January -- is intended as a launching pad for an entire universe of Second Wave characters. The creators certainly demonstrate that they have plenty of potential, and I hope they continue to develop that potential in future endeavors. In other words, I hope Ages gives way to further opportunities for these new talents.
For more information about Ages and Second Wave Studios, visit
