Recommended Reading - Age of Bronze by Randy Lander Last Updated: December 9, 2005 Publisher: Image Comics Frequency: Two or three times a year Price: $3.50 Status: Ongoing Series (2 trades are currently available, collecting issues #1-19, and the series is currently on issue #22) Jumping-On Points: The ideal jumping-on point is the first trade, A Thousand Ships, but if you want to check out the issues and don't mind getting the nuances of every relationship, #20 starts the third story arc, "Betrayal." Creators: Written/Illustrated by Eric Shanower Website: Age of Bronze Comics Website (A terrific, updated site with information on what's in print, quotes and reviews, a pronunciation guide, story so far and links to related sites, interviews and reviews) The Basics: The Trojan War detailed in all its glory with an eye towards realism backed up by intensive and meticulous research, but without skimping on the good bits like sex, violence and treachery. My Overview: It sounds like the recipe for a painful college course: The Trojan War, reconstructed from the pages of Homer's Iliad and numerous other sources, with a massive cast and an intricate look at the politics, personal interaction and warfare that drove this epic battle in ancient Greek times. Somehow, however, Eric Shanower manages to make Age of Bronze exhaustive and true to these characters while remaining fascinating reading for anyone who has a fondness for old time sword and sandal battle stories. Hollywood has produced a number of high-profile disappointments in this genre as of late, but Age of Bronze does what these two- or three-hour movies can't, giving the cast and the events the time to unfold as they should. This story unfolds over a period of many years, and trying to fit it into a movie or even a miniseries is pure hubris, but a multiple graphic novel series (I believe the plan is for seven total) serialized in issue format? Works perfectly. Shanower presents a realistic treatment of the period that includes romance (gay and straight), intricate and often brutal rituals to numerous gods, the twistiest family relationships this side of daytime soaps and massive and epic battle engagements. He does all this not only with his words, but with his artwork, which is detailed and beautiful to look at, with a level of photo-realism that the photo-referenced hot artists at Marvel and DC could only dream of. Shanower doesn't have shiny colors to help him out, so he's got to bring all that detail to life in pencil and ink, and he never fails in that regard. Who's It For?: History and literature buffs, fans of Frank Miller's 300 and anyone who was drawn in by movies like Troy, Alexander, Gladiator or Kingdom of Heaven, especially if you were hoping for more out of any or all of them. Currently Available Trades: Age of Bronze Vol. 1: A Thousand Ships (Collects Age of Bronze #1-9 plus maps, genealogical charts, a glossary of names, a bibliography and an afterword by Eric Shanower) Age of Bronze Vol. 2: Sacrifice (Collects Age of Bronze #10-19 plus maps, genealogical charts, a glossary of names, a bibliography and a "story so far" feature) Reviews: Age of Bronze Vol. 1: A Thousand Ships TPB Age of Bronze #11 Age of Bronze #12 Age of Bronze #13/ Behind The Scenes #1 Age of Bronze #14 Age of Bronze #15 Snapshot: Age of Bronze #16 Snapshot: Age of Bronze #17 Snapshot: Age of Bronze #18 Snapshot: Age of Bronze #19 Age of Bronze Vol. 2: Sacrifice HC Snapshot: Age of Bronze #20 Recent Issues: AGE OF BRONZE #21 Synopsis: King Priam of Troy learns of the sacking of nearby Tenedos, and the Achaean army decides to make a sacrifice similar to one that Hercules made, but the priest who leads them to the altar may have new information about the traitorous oracle Kalchas as well, and the sacrifice does not go easily. Review: This is the second part of "Betrayal," which means that despite being well into the overall story of Age of Bronze, we're in the early part of this particular arc, and that means, to some degree, that this is largely a setup issue. There are no doubt important events going on here, from the botched sacrifice to the hints about Kalchas's true nature, but it's all very much in the foundation stages. There's also a dizzying number of characters in play at this point, some named, some not, and in serial format, it's sometimes easy to lose track of who all those characters are, although the gist of the story is definitely clear. Where Shanower excels in this issue is in showing the reverence for ceremony and the meta-contextual ridiculousness of it all when viewed with modern eyes. The deep faith in sacrificing animals and relying on words from shifty men who claim to speak for the gods seems almost laughable, except that it's such an important part of how everything in the era gets done that it's closer to tragedy. If one were so inclined, one could probably find parallels to modern times of war being driven by religious ideology that seems equally ridiculous to some, but that's not a can of worms I'm interested in opening in this particular review. Highlights: The obvious terror and despair in the voice of the man who reports the fall of Tenedos, the tension and mystery between Kalchas and the foreign priest and the complications and trouble in the ceremony to sacrifice to Herakles. Quote: "I don't blame you for taking her from her husband - I would have. But I wouldn't have left him alive to come after her. But you -- you're afraid to shed a little blood." -Deiphobus, to Paris AGE OF BRONZE #22 Synopsis: Philoktetes's screams of anger and pain increasingly disrupt the camp, although not as much as a sneak attack by a band of Trojan forces, and both Troy and the Achaeans plot their subterfuge to guess at the strength of the opposing forces. Review: Wow, lots of stuff going on in this issue, as the Trojan War begins in earnest. The first two volumes of the story have been given over to putting the war into motion and gathering the forces, but now the Achaeans are within striking distance of Troy, and the actual prelude to war has begun. Thanks to Shanower's pacing, although this is the beginning of the war proper and thus there's a new energy there, there's also a believable amount of tension and stress from the long time that the Achaeans have spent together and the time that the conflict has been brewing in Troy. The confrontation between Achilles and Agamemnon, the dressing-down of Paris by Priam and the growing problem of Philoktetes all stems from the long build-up, even as it is the pressure of a new conflict that gives it such immediacy. It's a nice balancing act, and a pretty important issue in terms of overall story. Highlights: The surprise appearance of a Trojan warrior amongst the Achaeans, Philoktetes' darkly comical (and yet tragic) pleas to and insults for the gods and the angry war of words between Achilles and Odysseus. Quote: "Disguise yourselves as goatherds. If anyone asks, say that you didn't flee with the rest because you were off in the hill, tending herd." -Priam & Agamemnon, showing that great minds think alike Email Randy Lander comments about this column.