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JOAN #1
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Comicsone.com
Writer/Artist: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
Price: $14.95 US/$22.50 CAN |
I look to manga to offer me something different, whether it's an insight into another culture or simply subject matter that American comics usually won't touch, such as politics or sports. Joan is right up my alley in subject matter, a look at French history/mythology, and making it irresistible is the fact that it's full-color and absolutely gorgeous. I have to admit that I know only the basics of the Joan of Arc story, so the opportunity to learn more while also being told an engaging story was too good to pass up, and I'm glad I didn't. Joan is a delight, a
beautifully rendered and well-researched look into another time that features
intrigue, action and epic style adventure alongside a nifty history lesson.
Yasuhiko's protagonist, Emil
(or Emily) is immediately likable and easy to understand, largely because she is
patterned on her idol, Joan of Arc. Yasuhiko has cleverly set up a structure
where he can essentially tell the very interesting story of Joan of Arc, but
where he can also diverge from history to make for a more interesting story
because it is about Emil, not Joan. In addition, Emil's sight of Joan makes for
a nice parallel with Joan's visions, and her obsession with Joan allows Yasuhiko
to educate the reader about Joan through Emil's thoughts of her idol. It's a
very clever structure, and one that works out quite well.
Honestly, though, what made
me fall in love with the book wasn't the writing so much as the artwork.
Yasuhiko's work is beautifully painted, vivid and clear. It reminds me more of
European work than Japanese, more focused on lush backgrounds, costumes and
other details than on the action. Which isn't to say that the action is lacking.
The action scenes, particularly the battle between Emil's forces and a band of
highwaymen, are involving and exciting. What Yasuhiko really excels at, though,
is giving us a feel for France at the time while keeping things universal. A
moonlit night, a bustling city street, an abandoned village, these are all
fairly universal settings despite the unique cultural touches that Yasuhiko
gives them.
Of course, I don't mean to
imply that the writing is lacking. One definitely gets the sense of youthful and
pious zeal that drives Emil as well as the guilt that crushes her adoptive
father for raising her as he did. Her quest is dangerous and ultimately most
likely doomed to end badly, but she sees only grand adventure. The mixture of
foolish optimism and absolute faith makes her a charming character, and her
somewhat simplistic view of politics and what should happen to France makes her
seem heroic and pure rather than simply naive.
I will confess that I
sometimes felt a bit lost in the political maneuverings, due largely to my
inability to distinguish between various Dukes and other nobility. I wasn't sure
who held what position, how official it was, who they supported and things of
that nature. The history lesson in the back was much appreciated, but it might
have been more helpful earlier in the book.
Originally I had spotted this in Previews but dismissed it because it was meant to
be black and white and not color. I'm glad that the listing turned out to be
wrong, because the color artwork drew me in and revealed to me a wonderful and
engaging story.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review. |
