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SLEEPING DRAGONS #5
Recommended (8/10)
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Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics
Writer: Kevin Mason & Bob Richardson
Artist: Alex Szewczuk
Inks: Craig Taillefer
Price: $2.95 US |
It is my sincere hope that a trade paperback of these first five issues of Sleeping Dragons is on its way, because this is a story that deserves to find favor with those who have read Thieves & Kings, Bone and other fantasy epics. Mason
and Szewczuk have told an impressive tale of heroism, romance and sacrifice that
stands as one of the best fantasy comics I have read, and though this ending was
somewhat bittersweet, it was definitely powerful. Though this is the end of the
story arc, it is not the end of the series, and I look forward to seeing what
these creators offer up next in these pages.
For the past three issues,
we've been introduced to the travelling knight Philip and the family that has
come to mean so much to him, from the father Hawthorne to the young son Jared to
the daughter Becca. Particularly interesting has been the burgeoning romance
between Philip and Becca, which has allowed Mason to give Becca as much screen
time as Philip. The result is a band of well-developed characters that I care
about, a more important foundation for fantasy than even the solid basics of
history and epic wars.
Of course, Mason and Szewczuk
have provided that as well. The Crough and their reign of darkness were
explained quite well in previous issues, and the consequences of a resurgence on
their part gives the battle between Philip and the ogre Bron more power.
Providing it with plenty of power already are the incredible pencils of
Szewczuk, who tells the story visually while Mason fills the screen with rhyming
imagery, befitting the "play within a play" structure that the book has adopted.
The clash between Philip and Bron is epic in appearance and importance, and it
provides a powerful climax for the story. I'll confess that I still wished for
the more natural dialogue seen in earlier issues rather than the ever-present
epic poetry style, but I can't say that the poetry style didn't work.
This story really does have a
lot of elements that keep it interesting. There's the vast and important story
of an army of monsters advancing on a frontier town with only a few heroic
defenders right alongside the story of two young lovers from different worlds.
I'm impressed that Mason keeps the book so accessible even to those who have
missed every other chapter, with a comprehensive "What Has Gone Before" and Cast
of Characters page. While the emotional resonance is more powerful if you have
read the entire story, no one should be lost if they just picked up this issue
to read it.
The finale of this story is at once tragic and romantic, an ending that is both sad and hopeful at the same time. It wasn't an end that I saw coming until well into the book, and it wasn't until after finishing the book that I realized how perfect the title of the story arc was. This story arc, and every issue of Sleeping Dragons really, has been an example of how
fantasy should be done in comics.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review. |
