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AGE OF BRONZE #12
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Image Comics
Writer/Artist: Eric Shanower
Price: $3.50 US |
Movies like Saving Private Ryan and Gladiator have redefined how massive combat scenes should be filmed, and Shanower does some of the same kind of work in this issue of Age of Bronze, which features a massive military
engagement as its centerpiece. The issue is somewhat frantic as a result, and at
times difficult to follow, but that 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, and though the battle scenes take up
a lot of the issue, there is plenty of character movement to be found as well.
One of the defining elements of the Age of Bronze has been the show of Paris as a
hothead, someone whose foolish youthful pride and arrogance brought civilization
into war. This issue, Shanower shows us that arrogance and willfulness is not
one-sided, as the action-hungry Achilles practically drags the Achaen army into
an unwise and costly engagement.
There are two key moods
conveyed in this story, and Shanower's artwork goes a long way to conveying
both. First, to establish Achilles's (and the rest of the army's) restlessness,
we must get a sense of isolation from the fog-shrouded journey. The way the
boats come into view out of the fog, or the way the reader gets only certain
characters in clear focus while others remain outlined, serves to illustrate the
fog in a way that is unique and effective. Just as effective, although
completely different, is the way that Shanower shows the clashing armies. Once
the battle is joined, it becomes difficult to tell friend from foe, as armies of
men crash headlong into one another, chopping and cutting with abandon. I don't
envy Shanower the time it must have taken to draw these elaborate battle scenes.
The battle itself is a
diversion, not an engagement between the Achaens and their true enemies, but it
serves a few very important purposes. First of all, the price of arrogance and
impulsiveness is demonstrated in visual terms, and it becomes clear for the
first time to the readers that this war is likely to end with no true victors.
Secondly, it continues the strong thread of character development begun in
previous issues, with a new friendship (and perhaps more) formed in the heat of
battle.
This is not a subject most would tackle, and those few who would tackle it probably wouldn't handle it as skillfully and effectively as Shanower has. Age of Bronze is meticulously researched, but it doesn't require research to
understand or enjoy. It has found favor with archaeologists, but it's just as
entertaining and engaging for the average comic-book reader. It's the kind of
project that makes comics better just by its very existence, and as a
side-benefit, it happens to be one hell of a read.
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