There's off the beaten path, and then there's Klarion, a member of the rogues' gallery of The Demon, revamped and revised into an other-dimensional rebel in a world that values conformity even into undeath. Morrison's Klarion is almost more out there than Zatanna, the strangest of the Seven Soldiers projects so far, and I didn't warm up to it immediately, but after a couple of rereads I found it to be very compelling, a fascinating twist on DC staples with a gothic horror flavor that wouldn't be out of place in the Vertigo imprint. It doesn't hurt that, as with all of the other Seven Soldiers projects, Morrison is once again aided in his efforts by a phenomenal artist. This time out it's Frazer Irving, who does an exceptional job of painting the drab and yet spectacular visuals of the world of Klarion.
It has been said that "life sucks, and then you die." In Klarion, Morrison follows that with "then you get a brief rest, then death sucks even more." The harrowing scene of a "Grundy" being dug up and forced into servitude until it literally cannot work anymore says a lot about the culture in which Klarion lives, and it's a clever use of a stirring visual from the mainstream DC Universe in a completely new context. Morrison and Irving conjure up a fictional world that mixes the religious fanaticism of the 21st century with the puritan look and attitude that gave birth to it back in the early days of America, and burying the whole thing underground where no one ever sees the sky and no one escapes helps to impress upon the reader the oppressive nature of this society.
What is perhaps most impressive to me about Klarion is not just Morrison and Irving's creation of a fascinating other-dimensional society, but their ability to make it at once so spiritually crushing for the inhabitants and yet intriguing and wondrous for the reader. Morrison's Croatoan is equal parts 16th century puritan village, 19th century industrial revolution city and 21st century culture of fear all wrapped up into a package filled with the magic and strangeness that the DC Universe has to offer. Klarion is the boy who dares to fight the system and dream of a happier end, not an unfamiliar protagonist in this kind of setting, and Morrison has made his protagonist snarky and even a little self-involved, but he's a hero by virtue of having an imagination and a will beyond serving the society. Morrison's villain, Submissionary Judah, is likewise a powerful archetype, the violently dedicated fanatic whose religious fervor long ago gave way to mania.
Morrison's imagination provides a great foundation, and Frazer Irving's visuals build nicely upon that foundation. Just as the work ethic of Croatoa is founded in Puritan ethics, so too are the look and feel of their homes and clothes that of a Puritan society given a goth makeover. Irving aims for the time of the Salem witch trials and gives it a bit of a twist in that the inquisitors and the witches are one, a surprisingly effective blend of the shock of gothic makeup, black nails and blue skin and the restraint of high collars, fancy hats and other prim and proper trappings of Puritan society. Irving also has some exceptional storytelling moments, whether it's Judah's podium-pounding sermon to the people of Croatoa, the steep up-camera shot of Judah's first purposeful stride or that haunting first glimpse of the Horigal.
Seven Soldiers: Klarion is the last number one issue out of the Seven Soldiers group until September, when wave two debuts. However, now that all four first issues of the first wave have come out, Seven Soldiers shows all the signs of being exactly as innovative and fun as it promised to be when Morrison began talking about it. Whether you're reading the whole series (which I recommend) or cherry-picking out of the characters that intrigue you, if you're not reading at least one of the Seven Soldiers books, you're missing the best that superhero comics have to offer. 9/10
