It's been quite a while since I thumbed through the pages of an issue of Sojourn. The first couple of issues didn't grab my attention, but I've always been a fan of Greg Land's artwork. So, I was pleased to get another chance to revisit the book. Marz offers up an accessible script despite the fact that we're right in the middle of a story, picking up on an apparent cliffhanger. There's a slightly more playful and adventurous tone to be found here than I remember, but still, the story and characters don't really grab me like they do in Marz's Scion, also from CrossGen Comics.
Arwyn, Gareth and Cassidy find themselves the captives of the Urnetbi, an arachnidoid race that lives beneath the desert sands of the Five Lands. Arwyn -- determined to put an end to the evil of Mordath -- was after the Third Fragment of Ayden's Arrow, said to be in the possession of the Urnetbi, but she's not the only one on such a quest. Mordath's troll soldiers have also arrived looking for the fragment, and they offer something to the spider people's queen that Arwyn cannot: a reprieve from the wrath of a superhuman despot who returned from the dead.
There can be no doubt that this title's greatest strength is the sleek and sharply realistic artwork of Greg Land. His earlier work at DC was stunning, but it can't hold a candle to the strength of his current efforts. The seductive female curves for which he first caught people's attention are still to be found in his work. I also loved his realistic portrayal of the mysterious Urnetbi. He reinforces their enigmatic personalities the shadows and alien architecture. What's most impressive, though, is that he maintains a dark atmosphere while offering up linework that can only be described as surprisingly photo-realistic.
Marz piques my interest with the Urnetbi culture. There's an alien and darkly impenetrable quality to them, but the Hive Queen also demonstrates a certain pragmatic wisdom as well. Her actions stem from what she believes are the best interests of her people, and one can't help but admire her dedication to leadership and willingness to make difficult choices.
My problem with the story are the heroes. There seems to be little else to Arwyn but her anger and her dedication to the quest for the five fragments. Gareth seems to be set up as a Han Solo kind of rogue, but I don't find the same charm and flair in him here as I suspect I'm meant to. Furthermore, Marz doesn't convince me of Cassidy's shades-of-grey ethics. The sense of betrayal at the height of this issue's plot isn't terribly convincing.
