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AGE OF BRONZE #11
Highly Recommended (10/10)
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Image Comics
Writer/Artist: Eric Shanower
Price: $3.50 US/$5.60 CAN |
There has been a definite, if subtle, shift in the story with this issue and the previous one, as Shanower begins the second arc of Age of Bronze. Whereas the first arc focused largely on the gathering of the Achaean army, this one is focusing on the other side of the equation, what is going on in Troy, and the reader is allowed to see Helen adapting to her new life, as well as the city adapting to her presence. There's a little more political and romantic intrigue, and this particular issue has a couple of interesting examinations of how reality and beliefs in gods and myths intersect. Age of Bronze is a rare project, the kind of thing comics fans (and perhaps even
mainstream readers) will be talking about for years to come.
What really strikes me about this book is
how in control of everything Shanower is. The artwork, the writing, even the
lettering is note-perfect, showing the results of pain-staking research and a
knowledge of characters that is impressive given how many characters there are.
For instance, the opening scenes with Kassandra do an incredible job conveying
her madness, with the letters clearly indicating a loud, deranged sort of
speech, and her wild eyes and violent body language make it easy to see why
others would think her nothing but a madwoman. Even more intriguing is the
mechanism Shanower uses to explain her madness, as the interpretations of a
child scarred by a horrid event that is all-too-mortal.
Of course, Kassandra is only a part of this
issue, and though I expect her rantings will be a running theme of the story (as
they are of the Iliad), the focus is squarely on how Helen and the city of Troy
are getting on together. Whispering behind her back, fear of war and simple
jealousy mix with Paris's boyish adoration of her and with his father's obvious
affection as well. Seeing Helen's side of it, as she adjusts to this strange
place and seems unsure, but mostly happy, is also very interesting to see. The
closing moments of the issue, which finds her sharing an intimate moment with
Paris, is very sweet but has a tinge of sadness to it, and that is the tone that
pervades throughout the issue.
There's a wonderful style to the entire book that makes it easy to relate to. While the costuming, language and architecture are all based on Greek history, the way the characters interact is based purely on emotions and societal pressures that anyone can relate to. The jealousy of the women, the bickering and banter among the King's sons and the nervousness of a world that seems to moving towards war are all modern concerns as much as they were concerns then, and if there's one thing Shanower has done that has made Age of Bronze so good, it's probably
in making it so easy to relate to such a foreign world.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review. |
