The second wave of Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers titles debuts this week, and for those following the line in general, the strength of this book will come as no surprise. But moreso than Guardian, Shining Knight and Klarion, this title has a chance to bring in new readers, thanks to the participation of artist Pascual Ferry, who's still red hot after his hailed efforts on Andy Diggle's Adam Strange series. Only Zatanna, with the title character's mainstream DC Universe appeal, had a greater chance to appeal to readers who aren't die-hard Morrison devotees. Ferry fans won't be disappointed with what they find in this comic book, as he and colorist Dave McCaig offer a stunning array of visuals that captures the cosmic and magical appeal of the late Jack Kirby's Fourth World characters.
Shilo Norman has everything a 23-year-old, warm-blooded American guy could want. He's rich. He's famous. And even so, something doesn't feel quite right. He's captured the world's attention and awe with his escape-artist shows, but he doesn't feel comfortable in his own skin, and he's about to discover why. An encounter with a strange being named Metron opens his eyes to other worlds -- two other worlds, in fact: one of peace and good and one of evil and violence. A war is raging, and the good side is losing, and Shilo Norman wonders -- is the "dark side" about to destroy him, or is he just losing his mind?
Ferry's reinterpretations of Kirby's New Gods vary from subtly different to radically edgy and modern. His vision of Metron literally glows with power and intelligence, but what really caught my attention was his depiction of the Female Furies. They still exude menace, but Ferry has amped up their sexuality. But instead of serving to objectify the female villains, that sexuality makes them seem even more dangerous. The only real disappointing aspect of Ferry's work on this issue is that it won't continue. He won't be illustrating the remainder of the series, which is unfortunate. On the other hand, I understand we won't be without McCaig's sharp, brilliant colors. He adds a lot of energy to this unusually cosmic story, and he's definitely been a factor in Ferry's recent rise in popularity.
Shilo Norman's a character that's been around since the 1970s, but I honestly know little about him. I got a brief glimpse of him in the 1990s and years later during DC's "Joker: The Last Laugh" event (oy), but I did enjoy the notion of him as a jailer. The idea of an escape artist serving as a jailer was one Mark Waid and Alex Ross put forth in Kingdom Come in 1996, and other writers adapted it for mainstream DC continuity with Shilo Norman. Morrison casts aside that continuity here, shaving a few years off of the character and immersing him in a typical early-20s identity crisis. It's a far more personal and effective take on the character. There's plenty to ground the character, and that's important, given the cosmic, Kirbyian circumstances in which he is immersed.
There's an accelerated tone to this script, as though the four-issue format Morrison established for Seven Soldiers titles doesn't quite work for Mister Miracle. The reader and title character are thrown into the deep end of the plot right away, and the more personal scenes feel a little rushed. Still, Morrison makes his points clearly, and the story and characters are interesting and compelling. 8/10
