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AGE OF BRONZE #13 & BEHIND THE SCENES #1
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Image Comics
Writer/Artist: Eric Shanower
Price: $3.50 US/$5.50 CAN |
One of the downsides of Age of Bronze is that new issues are a relatively infrequent occurrence, so Shanower has given readers a treat in the last month or so with two issues. On top of the regular series, there is a Behind the Scenes issue that is not only indespensable to regular readers, but should be of a lot of interest to comics process junkies. With the Trojan War actually growing closer, the story in Age of Bronze is heating up, and the introduction of a tragic misunderstanding and the fallout from that occupies most of this issue. Mixing in politics, codes of honor and a strange sense of lost family makes for a surprising and interesting turn in the events of the Trojan War, something of a side trip for the main characters but very important to the overall story.
One of my complaints about this series, in fact possibly my only complaint, has been that the characters are often hard to tell apart. While the issue does sometimes have that problem, given the similar fashions that each character wears, the Behind the Scenes is an answer to that complaint, at least in part. Shanower gives a brief overview of each character's heritage, place in the story and general personality along with a basic head sketch, and it not only makes interesting reading but should make for a nice companion to the regular book, a sort of "character key" for Age of Bronze.
Of course, that's not the only purpose of Behind the Scenes. The amount of research Shanower has done has been clear in the finished work as well as in the bibliography, but it has never been clearer than in this issue. The sketches and notes on buildings, the map of the area and a timeline of Troy all serve not only as fascinating material but as insight into the underpinnings of Shanower's work. In addition, process junkies will love his "Putting an Issue Together" feature, as well as examples of turning sketchy pencils to finished pages.
 Back to the actual story, the fallout from the attack on Mysia is some of the most interesting and intense storytelling so far. The alliance of kings and warriors is full of different personalities, and seeing Achilles humbled or Agamemnon angry and frustrated as a result of the situation on the island gives some good insight into those characters. In addition, the unusual codes of honor of the Greeks, including the need for a burial mound and games in enemy territory or the long lost brothers and cousins is fascinating. This is a totally different type of warfare than is usually covered in comics, and what it lacks in action it makes up for in complex politics.
Even more interesting to me is the foreshadowing of relationships and developments for the characters to come. Achilles shows the strength and will of a hero, but also the foolishness of a young man, that will eventually lead to his downfall. And the conflict and aggression within the alliance of kings and advisors seems to promise some strife in the future. Shanower's artwork really gives a feel for these developments as well, from the emotions of the characters (the consternation of Telephius is a high point) to the details of the feasts and funerals to the usual realistic detail on costumes and setting.
Note: These books were not among this week's new releases.
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