In a perfect world, Rex Mundi would be released in a series of trade paperbacks, because the book does read better in large chunks, and the delays between issues have hurt my enjoyment of the story a little bit. However, this isn't a perfect world, and Rex Mundi is a book, like Age of Bronze, that both needs and deserves the support in its monthly format. I missed issue #11 somewhere, so it seemed like quite a while since I'd read the book, but I didn't really have any trouble picking up the threads of the tale, and it's clear that we're starting to get into some pretty suspenseful territory, with loyalties being questioned and relationships gaining a tension that could lead to real physical danger. In addition, the conspiracy that has been the center of the book since day one continues to gain depth, and Nelson spins out some cool revelations in this issue.
I'm always a little wary of the long-running conspiracy stories, because all too often they turn into the X-Files, where it is revealed that the creators really had no idea where the story was going and it winds up having no resolution or worse, having a resolution that doesn't ring true or even make any sense. That isn't a concern I have with Rex Mundi, though, because every time Nelson spins out a revelation in these pages, it fits in neatly with what has gone before and increases the complexity of the story, and it feels like part of a big plan. Eric J mentions in his editorial in the letter column that they even know how many more issues are left in the story, so it's pretty clear these guys know where they're going, and each issue makes me want to stick around for the end of the ride.
That said, the complexity and intelligence of the plotting in Rex Mundi can be a little bit off-putting, and there is a tendency on some of the issues for the book to turn into talking heads. This issue brings Brother Matthew, hero of the original webcomic that started this whole thing, into partnership with Dr. Sauniere, the hero of Rex Mundi, in a sequence that involves a painting and geometry. My eyes sort of glazed over at the exploration of the process, but I had to admire that it was something different, and the actual information contained in the sequence is pretty interesting. For that matter, the exploration of the lineage of the Duke of Lorraine and the story of the Cathars and the Knights Templar is equally dense and equally fascinating stuff. Rex Mundi is not a "leave your brain at the door" book. It engages the mind and encourages speculation and investigation.
Of course, I'd be selling the book short if I just called it a talking heads book. Eric J and Jeromy Cox continue to bring the book to life in beautiful detail, and the story breaks between the modern tales and flashbacks, giving a pretty wide spectrum of visuals for the artists to draw. The splash of the Swan Knight is a great page, and the splash page that makes the last page cliffhanger is also very strong and evocative. In addition, Eric J can tell a lot of story even with the "talking heads" sequence, doing some really nice atmosphere with the train station early on or the interior of the church in the middle of the book, and the sequence between the Duke and his willful daughter really conveys the anger and frustration between those two.
Rex Mundi is a book that benefits from re-reading and from reading in chunks, and yet, whenever I read a single issue, I always enjoy it and I'm inevitably drawn into the book once more. It is a book that really deserves a wider readership, and despite a complex plot structure, the creative team have really gone all out to keep it both accessible and enjoyable on a single issue basis as well.
