Even though it's not even half over, it's pretty easy to call Age of Bronze Eric Shanower's life's work, because it will probably take him quite some time to finish the epic. Certainly Age of Bronze is worthy of such devotion from the creator, and equally worthy of devotion from the comics fanbase at large. Age of Bronze is one of those comics that has genuine claim to being called literature, in addition to being a thoroughly-researched story that is epic in scope. More importantly, for all the history included in Age of Bronze, the book is just fascinating and entertaining as well, with a complex and believable insight into the relationships between people and nations. 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.
The second hardcover of Age of Bronze picks up where the first left off, as the stage for the Trojan War is set. Shanower shares an equal time focus between the invaders and the defenders of the war, rarely showing any judgment for who is in the right and who is in the wrong. For all that pride, faithlessness, anger and other human weaknesses are clear in all of the kings and warriors of the story, it's easy to understand where all of them are coming from as well. Shanower's story is one of men and women forced into impossible choices, sometimes by the inevitable consequences of their own actions or just by bad luck, and these difficult choices are a big part of why the book earned the name "Sacrifice."
I'm constantly in awe of how Shanower envelops the reader in the sense of being in ancient Greece. While the language, the pervasive belief in a pantheon of gods that interacts with humanity and other cultural aspects are preserved, there's a common human nature that runs through the story. This mixture of approachable characters and fascinating, detailed presentation of Greece in all aspects makes the reader feel as if they're a part of this world when they're reading Age of Bronze. Certainly the notion of a war that is based on mistakes and hubris on both sides, is one that still applies in the modern world.
For all that the book is about human relationships, including the development of a homosexual relationship between Patroklus and Achilles that is surprisingly touching even though it is based in the heartbreak of Achilles's wife and abandonment of his child, Shanower doesn't skimp on the aspects of war either. The tricky business of bringing reluctant allies into a war is examined when the army is called up for the second time later in the volume. And the tragedy that takes place when the army mistakenly attacks the wrong nation is very effective as well. The massive military engagement that results from this misunderstanding is a fantastic battle scene, somewhat frantic and crowded, which only serves to heighten the atmosphere. In addition, Shanower's detailed and realistic artwork makes the bloodletting and chaos all that much more real and visceral.
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. The same expression of madness is found later on when Telephus returns, his wound having become dangerously infected. And the mechanism that Shanower uses to display the maddening winds in the latter half of the book is exceptionally clever, and provides a physical manifestation of the force of nature which really drives many aspects of that part of the story.
I've talked about the stories that make up this collection as they came out in issue form, and you can find those reviews in the archive if you need to know more about the book. But I can't stress enough what an exceptional project this is, and how Shanower has taken an ambitious project and created a true masterpiece of comics. In addition, the hardcover, as with the collection of the first volume, is beautifully designed, an exceptional package for this exceptional book.
