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KING DAVID SC
Recommended (8/10)
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DC Comics/Vertigo imprint
Writer/Artist: Kyle Baker
Editor: Steve Bunche
Price: $19.95 US/$32.95 CAN |
New comics work from Kyle Baker is always reason to celebrate, and though King David is a departure from Baker's usual material, it's a pretty good yarn. In all honesty, my Bible studies ended before my grade school studies did, and so the story here is only passingly familiar to me, but Baker tells the story in a way that will please the Biblical scholar as much as the casual reader. He mixes in the flowery speak of scripture with more casual dialogue, and he hits the timeless appeal of faith, heroism and hubris in the story. The art is likewise quite attractive, although it is not the best I've seen from Baker, with some odd coloring and some disappointing production values. King David is a good read, but it unfortunately doesn't stack up there with Baker's works of genius like Cowboy Wally or Why I Hate Saturn.
Baker's work is best compared to animation, as it is vivid and fluid, telling the story in pictures as much as in words. In fact, King David separates these two
elements out, going with an illustrated prose style rather than using word
balloons. It works to some degree, since it gives Baker room to really go into
detail in his text, and tell a story that quite honestly would work without the
pictures, while the pictures often add needed humor or human emotions into the
mix. However, I did at some times wish that I could see a more direct connection
between the story being told in pictures and words.
King David is an unusual project for Baker, a Biblical
story rather than a slice-of-life or crime-related tale, but it works just as
well as his past stories. There's a rich tapestry to David's tale that I wasn't
even familiar with, save for slight recognition of elements like the battle with
Goliath or the name Bathsheba, and it's fascinating to see a young boy, chosen
by God, grow up to be a powerful man. Baker has really got a feel for the epic,
and he captures the spirit of 70s Biblical epic films right alongside the more
personal, irreverent style that has made him a favorite. The latter quality
comes through largely in asides from David's parents or his troops, who show a
more practical approach to the world, rather than one that relies on faith in
God and larger issues.
It wouldn't be unfair to compare King David to a Disney film in some ways, although it's easier to imagine if you remove the layers of executives, marketing people and multiple artists that water Disney movies down into all-ages, lowest common denominator fare. Still, King David has that same scope and appeal, and it definitely has the visual
style. The design for young David is cute but undeniably heroic, and older David
is a powerful, heroic figure that stands out amongst the rest of the designs.
The overall visual style of the book is distinctive and beautiful, despite some
coloring that seems at times a bit garish and one-note.
My big complaint about the
book, however, comes in the production values, which may have more than a little
to do with the artistic problems. I've had this $20 book for less than six hours
at this point, and already the cover is curling outward. The paper is flimsy,
about as solid as cheap magazine stock and quite possibly not ideally suited to
the ink absorption process needed for the art. While certainly friendlier to
original graphic novels than many publishers, DC seems to have decided in recent
years to give fans a choice between over-priced hardcovers or softcovers that
are cheaper in production quality than they are in price. While the paper used
here is better than the slightly-above-newsprint quality that makes up DC's
trades at the moment, it's not what I expect from a $20 Kyle Baker graphic
novel.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
