|
REX MUNDI #0
Recommended (8/10)
|
Image Comics
Writer: Arvid Nelson
Artist: Eric Johnson
Colors: Jeromy Cox
Editor: Tait Bergstrom
Price: $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN |
In recent years, Image Comics has been transformed into something of a training ground, a publishing banner under which comics creators with new approaches to storytelling can sell their unconventional wares in a more prominent corner of the marketplace. You may have seen some of them... The Red Star and Defiance come to mind. And now, another name joins their ranks: Rex Mundi.
In a church in Paris is a secret library of ancient histories and various documents that the Catholic Church has entrusted into the care of a lone priest. When one of those ancient treasures is stolen, the priest turns to his friend Dr. Saulniere for help. Saulniere investigates, and soon discovers something far more grave than the theft of an antiquity.
The Rex Mundi creators offer up some detective fiction, but it's unlike what one might usually see as a detective story. There's a delicious film-noir quality to the story and the art, but it's mixed in with gothic design and plot elements as well. Saulniere is an enigmatic but enticing character... like Sam Spade, Fox Mulder and Hercule Poirot merged into one stoic form. The overall tone of the book puts me in mind of The Exorcist III, albeit without the scepticism on the part of the protagonist.
The greatest strength of the book is easily the art... or to be more specific, the backgrounds. The detail is stunning, almost photo-realistic. The artists carry the reader to Paris in the middle of the night, and they drench the old stonework in an inky, creeping darkness that reinforces the mysterious and foreboding mood established in the script. The colors are crisp, but they never intrude on that darkness. In fact, they add to it.
The plot proceeds at a slow pace, but it suits the tone of the story. The crawling buildup adds to the haunted, cursed tone of the dialogue and story. There's an intelligent tone in the script, but there's also a tension to be found there as well.
Note: Some comments in this review were reproduced from a previous feature on the website.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
|
