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SOJOURN #2
Mildly Recommended (5/10)
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CrossGen Comics
Writer: Ron Marz
Pencils: Greg Land
Inks: Drew Geraci
Colors: Caesar Rodriguez
Letters: Dave Lanphear & Troy Peteri
Price: $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN |
The mysterious tone of the narration is just as it was in the first issue: grating. The reader is made to feel as though s/he has been left out of the loop. I realize the goal is to create suspense, but the result is instead annoyance. Still, Sojourn boasts the beautiful art of Greg Land and Drew Geraci, and there are a couple of elements in the script that appealed to me.
Arwyn is consumed by a thirst for vengeance for the deaths of her husband and child, and she makes her way to the castle stronghold of the undead Mordath, intent on killing him. Meanwhile, Mordath's trolls have finally captured the leader of a winged resistance faction, and the conqueror shares with the rebel the secret of his resurrection and the source of his deadly, burning power.
I have to admit... Mordath is a chilling villain, but I think most of my interest in the character stems from the detailed, imaginative design Land has provided. The art is obviously the title's greatest strength. Land's not just about sleek, sexy super-heroes anymore. Just check out that castle on page five. Stunning detail and realism.
There were a couple of moments in the book that captured my interest and imagination. I love the rebellion at which Marz hints here. We catch a brief glimpse of how magical the world in which Sojourn is set truly is in the form of the winged rebel leader. I also find I enjoy Kreeg, the heroine's stereotypically faithful canine sidekick, and I enjoyed the fact that Arwyn really has no idea what she's doing in this issue.
That's where my interest ends, though. There's little in this script to which a reader can relate. Arwyn is defined by nothing but her rage, and it makes one-sided characterization. There's no... balance of humanity here, no everyman or everywoman to serve as our gateway into the story.
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