It took a couple of issues for Arrowsmith to really get me under its spell, but I'm hooked now. Busiek's fantasy/war epic is as imaginative and engaging as his work on Astro City, all the more impressive for taking on genres not tackled quite as often in comics, and there aren't enough words to really describe how great Pacheco's artwork looks. There's a terrific mix of background details that make the magical world come alive, terrific characterization that draws us into the story and makes us care about the characters and amazing action set-pieces that get across the danger that the characters are in. This is a story which is structurally similar to adventure stories and war stories, but with a fantasy twist that sets it apart, and the freedom that comes from this being a wholly new creator-owned world gives it an edge in capturing the imagination and letting the reader know that anything can happen.
I was a little surprised to see a familiar face show up in the supporting cast this issue. I had thought that Busiek was done with the character, and certainly didn't expect to see the character show up again on board a ship headed to the front. Instead, it provides some of the more human, smaller moments of the issue and again makes the reader feel like Arrowsmith, though capable and even heroic, is an everyman, keeping him easy to relate to for the reader. The way he reacts to the tragedies that befall him this issue thus has more impact, because even with all the magic and fantasy surrounding him, the reader gets a sense of how Arrowsmith might feel about what happens.
Of course, it's not the mundane that really sells the book, it's the fantasy elements. Sailing ships that glide across the ocean, never touching its surface, men flying with the aid of dragons and enormous mounted sea serpents are among the fantastic elements of this issue. While it's not the primary point of the story, Busiek also manages to give the reader a feel for how deeply he's thought this world through. We learn of the principles of magic behind the construction and magic of the sailing ship or some of the details of how the men bond with their dragons that give them flight powers. This depth of world-building is part of what made Astro City so attractive, and I'm glad to see it here as well.
A big part of what makes this book work, though, what makes it capture the imagination so effectively, is the artwork. Pacheco and Merino's double-page spread of the sailing ship, with winged dolphins as an additional detail, is breath-taking. The sea serpents are properly monstrous and dangerous. The air battles give a sense of grace and the thrill of flight even as they carry the danger of bloody violent death, and Pacheco manages to capture both the magic of the setting and the brutality of the war which is taking place in it. The chaotic battle of the airmen at the end puts me in mind of some of Bryan Hitch's best work from The Authority, capturing the frenetic pace and overwhelming scope of that sort of combat without losing the reader in the process.
With this issue, Arrowsmith introduces the danger that the lead character is headed into much more forcefully, and in so doing helps to give the adventure book more of an edge. However, Busiek, Pacheco and the rest also continue to maintain a sense of fun, a sense of wonder alongside this sobering notion of the horrors of war. It's an impressive balancing act, and it speaks very highly of the talents of all involved and the potential in the concept.
