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AGE OF BRONZE #14
Recommended (8/10)
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Image Comics
Writer/Artist: Eric Shanower
Price: $3.50 US/$5.50 CAN each |
In every issue of Age of Bronze, Shanower manages to tackle complex material and fantastic characters and brings it all down to earth. Months at sea, wars over the fate of a single woman and polygamous relationships are pretty alien concepts from my perspective, but the writer/artist, almost miraculously, offers an accessible, grounded and entertaining read using those building blocks and more.
The men of the Achaean fleet are beginning to feel the burden of such a long time at sea and at war. They miss their families. They're not eating well. Morale is low, and a number of men choose to go home to their loved ones. Among them is Achilles, and he brings his friend Patroklus with him. The happiness of Achilles's reunion with his wife Deidamia and son Neoptolemus is fleeting, though, as another occupies his thoughts and his heart.
If you've got a copy of the book in front of you, flip through it. Look at it... look at the level of detail. There are crowd scenes that would give George Perez a headache, yet Shanower makes it all work, all flow, so well. The characters look so natural. Despite the expansive cast of characters, it's easy to tell the key players apart. Shanower brings the period to life not so much with the backgrounds and settings, but with the characters' clothing.
This issue is about something anyone can understand: homesickness. I like that Shanower makes it clear, though, that it's not a place that one longs for, but people. Achilles's joy at the sight of his infant son is touching and genuine (and it subtly plants the seed for an interesting plot twist).
Of course, Shanower also explores the notion that people not only long to be with people, but seek out moments and feelings that make them feel comfortable and at home. Achilles's reunion with his wife ultimately proves to be empty, as he finds he lacks the same passion for her he once did. And then there's Klytemnestra, who longs for a sense of normalcy and stability, and she's tortured by the knowledge that she'll never have it with Agamemnon. It's makes for emotional storytelling. I never would have suspected that the story of the Trojan War would be an character-driven one, rather than fueled by action.
Note: This comic book was not among this week's new releases.
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