Comic Review: Siege Town

I have been ask to review audio dramas many times. I’ve also been asked to review audiobooks on a few occasions. Today, however, we are breaking new ground. This is the first time someone has asked me to review their comic book. So, without further ado, let’s get into it. We’re taking a look at Siege Town. 

Siege Town take place in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. We follow two brothers named Robert and Charles. They are from America and…well, actually, we never find out why exactly they’re in the Soviet Union. Anyway, they’re traveling across Russia on their motorcycles, and they’ve recently stopped in a rural town. They’ve decided to stay at an inn run by an incredibly creepy man named Igor. He isn’t exactly popular with the townsfolk. In fact, the townsfolk have decided they’ve had enough of Igor, and they’re out for blood. Charles and Robert are about to find themselves in the middle of a major siege.

I was approached to review Siege Town by Ben Ruffett. He is attempting to found his own comics publishing house called Witching Hour Comics. He raised the funds for Siege Town over on Kickstarter. Currently, you can only receive a copy of Siege Town by being a backer to the Kickstarter, but Ben hopes to change that soon. Ben has seen me share my comic book reviews over on Reddit, and asked if I’d be willing to review Siege Town. I said yes, and he shipped me a copy. It was the first time I’d receive a package from a foreign country, in this case Canada. So, that was kind of exciting. He did address it to Arthur Drakoni, which is my Reddit username. Caused some minor confusion when my parents found the package while I was at work. That was my fault. I should have clarified who it should be addressed to.

So, the first thing that strikes me about Siege Town is that, physically speaking, it is a very constructed. Holding it in my hands, it felt like I was flipping through something produced by a professional comic book company. The pages are glossy and strong, the cover is slick and shiny, the binding holds well. It even has the smell that you get from a professional comic book. Ben and his team clearly put a lot of effort into making sure their comic met the physical standards of a professional publisher.

The same goes for the artwork. It is all drawn and colored very well. Andrey Portilla did the drawing, and Cristian Ramirez handled the coloring. The artwork is very evocative of Vertigo during the heyday of series like Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, or the various horror titles Vertigo published. Wasn’t really into the horror side of Vertigo myself, but I know enough to recognize the influence.

So, there’s a lot of care put into the artwork and physical presentation of Siege Town. I just wish the writing and plot had received the same level of attention. The plot, when you get down to it, is really just there to set-up the fight scenes. Don’t get me wrong, they’re very well drawn fight scenes, but I would have preferred if the plot had a bit more meat to it. The other issue I had is that the plot introduces a lot of potentially interesting elements, and promptly does nothing with them. 

For example, Robert and Charles are traveling through the Soviet Union during the 1950s. That was the height of the Cold War, and most Americans couldn’t just waltz into Russia to have a look around. So, what brings Robert and Charles to Russia? What are they looking to accomplish? Beats me, as the comic never provides any answers. In fact, the unusual setting never really factors into the plot. You could set the story in rural America during the same time period, and nothing would change.

On an unrelated note, the beginning of the comic makes a list of all the various peoples who have invaded Russia over the years. You get the usual suspects; Napoleon, Hitler, the Mongols…and the Russian Empire. Yeah, apparently, the Russian Empire invaded Russia. It would seem that the script could have used a tad more proofreading.

It is also established early on that Igor has a collection of killer ants. This is set up as thought it is going to playing a major role in a big climatic scene. However, the most that happens is that it breaks open, the ants bite one of the villagers, whop quickly brushes them off, and that’s it. On that note, I feel that Igor’s characterization was a bit rushed. Everything about him practically screams serial killer at the top of its lungs. Frankly, what were Robert and Charles expecting when they decided to spend the night? It might have worked better if he started off more innocuous, but then gradually revealed his true colors. This would also add to the sense of rising tension as the villagers close in, and make their motives a bit more mysterious.

Now, I didn’t hate Siege Town. I’d been going through a stretch where I hadn’t read a comic book for a bit, and it was nice to be back in the saddle. I was reminded of all the reasons I love comic books as a medium. There’s certainly an audience for comics that put heavy emphasis on action scenes. There’s certainly a lot of people who enjoy the Hellsing manga. That having been said, I am not part of that audience. If you are, however, then perhaps you might want to look into Siege Town.

The last few pages of the comic make mention of some upcoming comics from Witching Hour Comics. They both kind of sound like the same plot as Siege Town, but in different settings. The one that is set on a Moonbase sounds promising, but I’m concerned about the execution. Especially since the other one is about a bunch of Vietnam veterans in a small town in America. I certainly hope my critique about Siege Town’s setting doesn’t turn out to be prophetic.

So, that was Siege Town from Witching Hour Comics. It looks like a professional comic, down to the smell. It has artwork evocative of Vertigo. The story, however, leaves something to be desired.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

Comic Review: Heavy Water

Not every work of fiction is what we might call quality literature, or high art, or some other third term. There are some pretty mindless works out there, but that doesn't mean they don't have value. Part of growing-up and being mature is realizing that sometimes you need brainless fun in your life. Why am I rambling like this? Don't worry, this all relates to what we're reviewing today. We're taking a look at the alternate history comic Heavy Water by Jonathan W.C. Mills and Alberto Muriel.

Heavy Water takes places in a world where Nazi Germany won World War II thanks to being the first nation to develop an atomic bomb. By the 21st century the Nazis rule the world with an iron grip.  Citizens are monitored by security cameras 24/7. Every aspect of their citizen's lives are harshly regimented. Police armed with laser guns roam the streets. It is a dark and grim place, but there is light in the darkness. Ben Haukelid is a mid-level bureaucrat doing his best to get by in life. Then he discovers that his girlfriend Floria is part of an underground resistance movement. The group aims to send someone back to World War II to stop the Nazis from getting the bomb. Before long, Ben is whisked away to Nazi-occupied Norway on a mission to change history.

Jonathan Mills certainly had lofty ambitions for this comic. I read an interview where he described it as Saving Private Ryan meets The Time Machine. At the risk of sounding harsh, it really fails to live up to that pedigree.

Well, first of all let me give credit where it is due. This comic has absolutely gorgeous art. This is certain par for course with Kickstart, the publisher of this and several other great comics; no relationship to Kickstarter.

Anyway, in terms of pacing this comic does reasonably decent. It feels a bit fast at the beginning, but it somewhat evens out. On the other hand, it takes over halfway through the comic before Ben travels back in time. It felt like the scenes in the past could have used a tad more attention than they got. One of my complains with Kickstart is that their books tend to be around 96 pages, but the writers clearly need more room to tell their stories.

Okay, let's talk alternate history. The time travel elements largely center around Knut Haukeld, an actual Norwegian resistance fighter from our world. He led several teams on raids of German heavy water production facilities in Norway. Ben, who is a descendent of Haukeld, is tasked with ensuring that the mission is a success.

Haukeld and his men were certainly brave and heroic; I'm not trying to deny that. However, they weren't the reason the Nazis never got the atomic bomb. Nazi scientists were forbidden from using any physics developed by Jewish physicists. This meant they were forbidden from using anything they might have helped them figured out how to make an atomic bomb. Moreover, Germany had at least eight different atomic bomb programs, all of whom competed against each other, and never cooperated. Nazi Germany didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of developing an atomic bomb.

Despite all of this, many works of alternate history act as though Germany was within fingers-lengths of developing a functioning atomic bomb. As stated about, this could not be further from the truth. Ironically, Imperial Japan was a lot closer to developing an atomic bomb. A few years ago cyclotrons were discovered in Korea. The Japanese put them there to avoid detection, and from recently discovered documents, it appears they might have only been months away from developing a working bomb. Of course, America's atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki put an end to all of that. Curiously, you don't see nearly as many alternate histories where Japan wins World War II, but I digress.

I found the Nazi occupied present day both unrealistic and a tad cliche. It felt a bit more like Nineteen Eighty-Four than a proper alternate history. I'm fairly certain the Nazi would have run into serious problems well before they would have been able to monitor everyone with security cameras 24/7. I also seriously doubt that there would be flying cars. Besides the technological limitations, there's way too many things that could go wrong as far as driving.

We also get hints that Norwegian has become a dead language. Yeah, considering how much the Nazis fetishized Nordic culture, there's no way that would happen. The comic opens in the city of New London, but appears to be built on the remains of old London. Slight problem, as it is mentioned that the Nazis nuked London. Shouldn't radiation be an issue?

Okay, so we've established that this comic has a lot going against it. So why do I still recommend it? Well, it is still enjoyable, in a turn-off your brain sort of way, as a science fiction action story. If you take it for what it is, it isn't half-bad as a action adventure comic. I got to learn about Knut Haukeld, so it wasn't completely without merit. Plausibility doesn't necessarily mean more entertaining. For example, Fatherland is generally considered a more plausible Nazi Victory scenario, but I always found it a tad boring. Heavy Water ain't high art, but it's reasonably entertaining.

Well, I think that covers everything I wanted to discuss about Heavy Water. I will see you guys next time.

Heavy Water

Comic Review: The Eagles of Rome by Enrico Marini

As I've said before, I tend to have very high standards when it comes to historical fiction.  I'm especially excited whenever I find a comic book that lives up to my standards.  That brings us to the comic we'll be reviewing today.  We're taking a look at The Eagles of Rome by Enrico Marini.

The Eagles of Rome takes places during the reign of Emperor Augustus.  The Roman Empire is seeking to expand its boarders into Germania.  Towards this end, a young Germanian prince has been sent to Rome to be fostered as part of a peace agreement with the Cherusci tribe.  To his people he is Ermanamer, but the Romans have given him a new name: Arminius.  Arminius has been sent to live with Titus Valerius Falco and his son Marcus.  The comic follows Arminius and Marcus as the grow into men and join the legion.  As they grow, Arminius finds himself increasingly drawn to the land of his birth.  Marcus and Arminius are going to find themselves on opposite sides of a great conflict.  In time it will be known as the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. 

Before we begin, I should note that The Eagles of Rome is not a finished series.  As of this writing, only five volumes have been published.  It's also pretty obvious that the story is not over yet as of volume five.  With that having been said, let's begin our review.

Like I've said, this book is very well researched.  Granted, there are a few minor liberties taken here and there.  The biggest being that Marcus and his family are completely fictional.  I'm fairly certain that Marini did this to give a Roman perspective on the happenings.  It is also through Marcus that we get to see Arminius grow and change.  This is very much the story of Arminius as witnessed by Marcus.  Fun fact, Enrico Marini wrote a Batman comic for DC Comics.  It was part of a program they did to hire famous European comics writers to write for some of their most famous characters.  Anyway, the design Marini used for Bruce Wayne is almost identical to the one he uses for Marcus.  Naturally, some have joked that Marcus is Bruce's several times great-grandfather.  I'll leave it for you to decide.

Now, I should mention that this comic does have a fair bit of nudity and sex to it.  I'd argue that this is fairly accurate to the time period.  Ancient Rome was pretty shameless, by modern standards, when it came to sex.  Granted, medieval Christian writers did tend to exaggerate this to an extent, but we do have archaeological and historical accounts to backup these views.  We also see several older men who are clearly in carnal relationship with younger eliminate men.  Pederasty war par for course in Ancient Rome.  At one point we hear the Romans taunting the Germanians with insults like "Woden sucks cock!"  To which the Germanians reply in kind.  This might sound anachronistic, but Roman graffiti is cover with such insluts, so points for accuracy.      

I did like how the parts set in the red-light district showed the seedier side of Roman life.  In a lot of ways, living in Rome was like living in a third-world country is you were a plebeian.  We see a lot of buildings made out of bricks and wood, and this is historically accurate.  Marble was reserved for the rich and elite.  Commoners had to make do with other materials.  Furthermore, the marble buildings we do see often contain quite a bit of paint and color to them.  Again, this is indeed how the Romans decorated their buildings.

Another mark towards historical accuracy is the way relationships are portrayed.  Marriages are done almost exclusively for diplomatic purposes, with marrying for loving being almost unheard of.  In the grand scheme of things, marrying for love is a fairly recent development.  This creates issues when Marcus falls in love with Pricilla, who has been betrothed to Quintus Aemilius Lepidus.  He is the grandson of Lepidus of the Triumvirate.  He's got a massive chip on his shoulder as he struggles to regain his family's good name.  He also isn't too fond of Emperor Augustus.  He's aware that Pricilla and Marcus are in love, and frequently takes his anger out on both of them.  As such, when the Battle of Teutoburg Forest happens...well, I won't spoil that.  Let's just say that Lepidus gets what's coming to him. 

Things only get trickier when Marcus and Pricilla have a son together, whom they name Titus.  It might seem odd that they named him after Marcus' abusive father, but there were only about seventeen common names in Ancient Rome.  Also, it was common practice to name children after other family members.  Lepidus thinks that Titus is his child, though he does connect that dots after a few volumes.  Strange that it took him that long, given that he is a redhead, Pricilla has light brown hair, and Titus has black hair like Marcus.  Also, little Titus does look quite a bit like Marcus.  As an aside, I always thought that Lepidus looked kind of like a younger version of Emperor Nero.  Perhaps this was intentional, to further underscore that Lepidus is not a nice fellow.

Arminius also finds love.  He gets married to a chieftain's daughter named Thusnelda.  Her father, Segestes, is seeking to marry is daughters to powerful Romans to forge alliances.  Fortunately, Thusnelda and Arminius are very much in love with each other.  Marcus' mother Albinia was also a chieftain's daughter who was married to a powerful Roman.  Arminius even considers tempting Marcus to join the rebellion by appealing this his Germanic heritage. However, he decides against it, reasoning that Marcus is too loyal to Rome.  As another aside, you'll notice that there are a few Romans wearing pants in Germania.  The Romans despised pants a barbarian clothes.  However, the legions stationed in Germania eventually had to admit that the barbarians were onto something; especially during the winter.

I should probably also talk about Marcus' father.  Titus Valerius Falco would probably be considered abusive by modern standards.  He constantly berates Marcus for his unmanly hobbies such as poetry and carving wooden figurines.  There's even a point in the first volume here he rounds up all of Marcus' figurines and burns them in-front of Marcus.  He also puts Marcus and Arminius through some very harsh training by hiring a former gladiator named Volcanus to train them.  Despite all of this, he would be considered a good father by Roman standards.  In fact, Augustus even applauds him for instilling fortitude in his son and foster-son. 

There's several times throughout the comics that Marcus has seemingly prophetic dreams.  For example, right before the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, he had a dream where an eagle and a wolf getting into a fight, and the wolf kills the eagle.  Obviously, the eagle is Rome, the wolf is Germania, and this symbolizes the Roman's coming defeat.  Of course, there is debate about whether if the dreams were really prophecies, or if it was all coincidence.  I'm inclined to think that there is something supernatural is at work.  Still, it is a minor potentially supernatural happening in an otherwise straight-up historical fiction comic.

I can't forget to talk about the art.  It is very well done.  It is made using watercolor, and looks absolutely gorgeous because of that.  It is very well drawn, and easily rivals anything that you'd find at Marvel or DC Comics.  In fact, it is better than a lot of the art on the current stuff they're putting out, but I digress. 

The big battle has already happened by the time volume five ends.  However, it is pretty obvious that the story isn't over just yet.  The battle is pro tray in all its glory and horror.  What made Arminius such a powerful advisory was that he'd been trained in Roman fighting style.  He could combine the best aspects of Rome and Germania, and he knew all of the Romans' weaknesses.  As I've said, fostering foreign princes was a common practice during the time.  The Romans figured that, if they introduced foreigners to their culture, the foreigners would grow to love Rome.  This would make conquering new territories much easier.  They never dreamed that one of these princes might stab them in the back. 

It goes without saying that Arminius is going to survive until the end of the story, and I'm fairly certain Marcus will as well.  I'm not really sure what's going to happen next, but I can't wait to find out.  There's usually a wait of a couple of years between volumes while Marini works on other projects.  Still, hopefully the wait won't be too bad. 

So there you have it.  The Eagles of Rome is one of the best historical fiction comics out there.  I cannot recommend it enough.  Well, I think that's everything I need to say for now.  I will see you guys next time. 

Comic Review: The Life Eaters

If you've been following this blog for a while you know that I love alternate history, and I love mythology.  So what happens when I find a comic that combines them both?  I'll save you the trouble.  Today we'll be taking a look at The Life Eaters by David Brin with art by Scott Hampton.  Also available from Comixology. 

The Life Eaters is an expansion of Brin's novella "Thor Meets Captain America."  No, not the ones you're probably thinking of.  The comic takes place in a world where Nazi Germany used the Holocaust as a form of mass necromancy to summon the Norse gods.  As a result, the Nazi are able to push themselves back from the brink of defeat.  They push the Allies out of Europe and succeed in conquering the British Isles and Russia.  World War II has dragged on into the 1960s.  The Nazis have their sights set on America, but the Allies continue to fight on thanks to the help of the trickster god Loki. 

The comic is divided into three parts, and part one is pretty much a straight-up retelling of "Thor Meets Captain America."  Personally, I found this to be the best part of the comic.  The artwork is done in a way that invokes the photorealistic watercolor style of Alex Ross.  The gods are all drawn reasonably mythologically accurate.  Thor has red hair and a beard.  Well, everyone except for Loki.  He's just as muscular as the other gods, even though the myths would suggest he has a more slender appearance.  He also has a long white beard, causing him to look a bit like Odin.  This leg of the story follows a man named Chris as he leads an expedition of Allie forces on a mission to Sweden.  Besides the issues with Loki's appearance, there's also the issue of how the expedition arrives in Sweden.  They take a submarine under the thinking that the Norse gods don't function well underwater.  This is simply untrue, as there are several aquatic Norse deities such as Aegir and his daughters the seven waves. 

Despite these criticisms, I did overall enjoy this part of the comic.  I liked how the gods are portrayed.  They view the Nazis as a source of sacrifices, but don't support Nazi ideology.  For example, when a black solider tries to attack Odin, and is killed by a priest, Odin immediately orders him to be given full funeral rights.  He says, essentially, "I want that brave man fighting at my side when Ragnarok comes."  It is also mentioned that the Nazi elites are losing their grip on power, and the priest of the Aesir are the ones who really run the reich these days.  The Aesir honor valor and courage even when their enemies are the ones expressing it.  Thor expresses a certain admiration for Chris's resilience. 

There's also a nice reference to the poem Old Norse poem "Grimnismal" when Odin mentions that his raven Muninn was killed when the Allies nuked Berlin.  In the poem Odin talks of his ravens Huginn and Muninn, thought and memory.  He fears the day Huginn does not return, but more does he fear that Muninn won't come back.  In other words, he's getting older, and he fears the day he will be nothing more than a senile old man who can't even form coherent thoughts. 

Brin mentioned that the whole reason The Life Eaters came to be was that he was trying to write a Nazi Victory alternate history, but couldn't think of a plausible way for it to happen.  He was also trying to rationalize the Holocaust, at least to himself.  Of course that the thing about the Holocaust.  As methodical as it was, it was also utterly irrational.  The Nazis had to ignore science to justify their slaughter.  Not to mention that the whole thing was actively detrimental to their war effort because of all the resources and manpower that were diverted. 

So the first third ends with Chris snapping Odin's spear Gungnir, and fatally wounding himself.  Still, it does give hope that one day mortal men will be able to rise up and defeat the gods.  Okay, so despite some minor flaws, it was a good start to the comic. 

The second part of the comic pick up the action in the 1970s.  The Nazis have conquered America and Canada, but they aren't unopposed.  The Japanese have used necromancy to summon the Shinto gods, the Indians have summoned the Hindu gods, and the various nations of Africa have summoned their gods.  The part of the story follows a young solider named Joseph Kasting has he finds himself drawn into the world of the underground Allied resistance.

I'd assumed that the Nazi's rituals worked because the Norse gods were dead.  Early Christian missionaries would claim that Ragnarok had already occurred, and that Norse Mythology was a prequel to the Bible.  However, it appears that you can create gods out of thin air by believing hard enough, and performing enough human sacrifice.  Still, it was an interesting idea to have other nations create their own gods.  We do get a taste of this as Joseph and his comrades engage Hindu gods in Cambodia.  The Norse gods don't do so well in tropical climates.  The Allies are operating for under the sea, but I've already explained why this doesn't work.  Again, flawed, but I liked how it expanded upon the initial world of the novella.  Although I did stop a horned helmet.  The Vikings did not wear horned helmets.  It is a misconception that comes from early archaeologist finding drinking horns next to helmets in burial mounds, and wrongly assume thing they went together. 

Part three is where things really start to come apart.  Joseph is tasked by the Resistance to stop Loki, who wasn't as trustworthy as he seemed, from bringing about Ragnarok.  The first flaw happens Joseph meets a coalition of Christians, Jews and Muslims.  They spend several scenes blabbering about how they've put aside their differences and love each other now.  Oh, bullshit. I highly doubt the Abrahamic Faith's would start loving each other, and stop trying to killed each other, just because pagan gods starred reappearing.  Also, the Christians use the ichthus because the Muslims find crosses offensive, which is even more bullshit.  To explain why we'd need to discuss the Crusades, and that's a conversation for another time.  The Abrahamic Coalition makes a big deal about how their faiths require no sacrifices, which is nonsense.  Judaism doesn't currently perform sacrifices, but only because of a lack of a temple in Jerusalem.  Christianity places a lot of significance on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  Muslims sacrifice plenty of sheep of Eid. 

Anyway, moving on.  The biggest problem I have with The Life Eaters is that it bit off more than it could chew.  It came up with interesting ideas, but didn't have nearly enough space to properly develop them.  As a result, the ending comes across as rushed and anti-climactic.  Moreover, the moral of "stop waiting for all-powerful beings to save you, and instead save yourself" came across as way more heavy-handed than in the first part.  Again, this comic was way too short.  It needed more time to properly develop its plot and world.

So, what are my final thoughts on The Life Eaters?  It certainly wasn't the worst alternate history comic I've ever read.  There was a lot to love about the first 2/3.  However, there was significant room for improvement.  Despite having a very interesting premise, the comic failed to make the most of it, and needed more room to properly develop its world. 

Well, I think that should do it for now.  I will see you all next time.

Comic Review: Figment

I'm sure I've brought this up before, but I love the creativity and storytelling that go into the creation of Disney Theme Park attractions.  As you can well imagine, I'm also quite fond of the Disney Kingdoms comics line that is being produced by Marvel Comics.  It is easily the best series Marvel is currently producing.  As I'm sure you guessed by now, we're going to be reviewing one of the additions to the Disney Kingdoms line today.  Specifically, we're taking a look at Figment. 

Figment takes place in London in the year 1910.  It follows an aspiring inventor named Blarion Mercurial.  He might not look it, but he is destined to become The Dreamfinder.  Blarion works for The Academy Scientifica Lucidus.  He's always been a dreamer and he wants to harness the power of imagination and creativity.  Unfortunately, his boss, Chairman Illocrant, is only interested in creating a device that can during thought into energy.  While working on the device, Blarion brings Figment, his childhood imaginary friend, to life.  He also opens a portal into a realm of pure imagination.  Before long, our heroes embark on a journey into imagination.

This comic is based on the beloved EPCOT ride Journey into Imagination.  As such, why don't we talk a little about the ride.  A ride/pavilion dedicated to imagination might seem out of place in a theme park dedicated to science, technology and world culture.  I, however, would argue that it was a perfect fit.  As Dreamfinder famously reminded us all, one little spark of inspiration is at the heart of all creation.  Submarines started out as an imaginary machine dreamed up by Jules Verne.  Then they became real, and today hundreds of Nautilus' prowl the depths of the oceans.  Similarly, Robert Goddard was inspired to create rockets after he read War of the Worlds.  Dozens of scientists and inventors have been inspired by what they saw on Star Trek.

The point being, all of these inventions wouldn't have been possible without someone dreaming them up and imagining them first.  Imagination is the spark that leads to several scientific discoveries, and many wonderful artistic creations.  In fact, you could even go as far as to say that without imagination EPCOT, and Disney World as a whole, wouldn't exist.

Journey into Imagination debuted in 1983 and delighted guests of all ages with a whimsical journey into...well, into imagination of course.  Dreamfinder and Figment delighted guests by showing them all of the wonderful things imagination is capable of doing.  Throughout the ride there was a bit of a theme of "science and imagination can work together to solve the world's problems" which is a pretty great, and fairly timeless, lesson to impart.  Dreamfinder and Figment are notable for being one of the few walk-around characters early EPCOT had.  When it first started out, EPCOT had a strict policy of not incorporating pre-existing Disney characters into the park.  For a while, Dreamfinder and Figment were the unofficial mascots of EPCOT.

Unfortunately, in 1998 the ride closed down are part of a contract with the ride's sponsor Kodak.  EPCOT had a policy of having rides sponsored by various companies.  This was to provide the companies with free advertising in the hopes that they would help pay for the upkeep of the rides.  This model...didn't quite work out, to put it succinctly.  By the late 1990s Kodak was in some serious financial trouble as digital cameras began to replace convention film.  They didn't want anything to do with Journey into Imagination, but were contractually obligated to renovated.  So, they went with the cheapest solution they could find.

The new version completely removed Dreamfinder and Figment and stared Eric Idle.  Idle played a scientist who insults the guest for having no imagination, but he fixes that with the power of science...I guess.  Unsurprisingly, this version, called Journey into YOUR Imagination, was universally hated and closed down in 2001.  In 2002 the ride opened again as Journey into Imagination with Figment.  This version starts out similar to the second version, but quickly goes off-the-rails as Figment takes over and brings things, somewhat, back to the original ride.  While better received than the second, fans agree that this version just doesn't have the magic of the original.  Especially since Dreamfinder is still nowhere to be seen.

Okay, now that we've talked about the ride, let's talk about the comic.  So, as you may have surmised, this comic is very much an origin story for Dreamfinder and Figment.  Dreamfinder is very much cut from the same cloth as character such as Willy Wonka or Ms. Frizzle.  They're characters you don't know much about, but you don't need to know much, because they're just that awesome.  As such giving these characters backstories must be handled with great care, because there is a lot that can go wrong.  So, how does it work for this comic?  Quite well, quite well indeed.

Even before Blarion embraces his destiny as Dreamfinder do see little hints of what is to come.  He's good natured, friendly and wants to make the world a better place.  Yet at the same time he's being kept down by various forces in his life, such as his boss, and needs Figment to show him that his dreams aren't in vain.  Or to put it another way, Figment shows him that a dream can be a dream come true.  If you pay attention, you'll spot many references to the original version of Journey into Imagination throughout this comic.  Also, there is an introduction at the beginning of the comic written by famous Disney imagineer Tony Baxter.

The artwork wasn't the best I've ever seen, but it gets the job done.  There were a few touches I did appreciate.  Figment, and everyone else from the realm of imagination, has somewhat more vibrant coloring than the real-world characters.  He's also noticeably more cartoony, which is in keeping with his appearance, and make him standout more.  Blarion also takes on a more whimsical art style once he fully embraces his destiny as The Dreamfinder.

The realm of imagination was a joy to experience.  I loved the Audio Archipelago, home of the Sound Sprites, and all the various sound puns it had.  For example, when Blarion and Figment get arrested they are put in a jail cell at the bottom of the Archipelago known as the Bassment.  They were arrested because, apparently, failing to speak in alliteration is one of the most heinous crimes to the Sound Sprites.  In other puns, our heroes get swept up in the gales of a brainstorm at one point.  The entire realm of imagination was a joy to experience because of how whimsical it was.

I liked that the real-world portions are set during the Edwardian era.  Dreamfinder and his inventions have always had a bit of a steampunk feel to them.  The Edwardian era was a more optimistic time than the Victorian era.  Of course, four years later all of that hope and optimism was dashed by World War I, so good that Blarion become Dreamfinder when he did.

On that note, I feel like the concept of Dreamfinder could have been introduced a bit better.  Now granted, we all know that's what Blarion is destined to become, but within the context of the story, it kind of comes out of left field.  It wouldn't be too hard to fix.  We know Figment was his childhood imaginary friend, so maybe include a few lines/scenes about how he used to play games or tell stories where he went on adventures with Figment as Dreamfinder.

This is really just a minor point, overall this comic was a joy from start to finish.   I'm not the only one who thought this.  Figment went on to be a surprise hit for Marvel, even Disney CEO Bob Iger was taken by surprise, and a sequel was immediately ordered.  Before you ask, yes, I will review that one eventually.

If there is a message to take from this comic I think it is this.  Trying means that you might fail, and that can be scary, but never trying means you never succeed.  You have the power to achieve your dreams within you, even if you don't know it yet.  All in all, an excellent message to impart to readers, and very in keeping with the theme of the ride.  I should mention that this is an excellent all ages comic.  Of course, this is a Disney creation, so that is to be expected.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now.  I hope you all enjoyed this review very much, and I will see you all next time. 

Comic Review: Uncle Sam

At one point or another every American has pondered a fundamental question: what does it mean to be American? Relatedly, what is the nature of America? What are we to make of America's history? These questions are at the heart of the comic we're going to be reviewing today. We're reviewing the comic Uncle Sam by Alex Ross and Steve Darnall. 

The comic follows a man named Sam. His clothes have grown tattered and faded, he spouts out quotes and slogans like a madman, but Sam is no ordinary man. He is Uncle Sam, the living embodiment of the United States of America. Sam is confused and disoriented; he is plagued by memories and images of horrors and hypocrisy that have occurred throughout American History. Sam is about to embark on a journey to find the answer to who he, and by extension America, really is.

So, a bit of clarification before we really begin. If you're a fan of DC Comics then you might be familiar with the DC universe's version of Uncle Sam, as created by comics pioneers Will Eisner. That version of Uncle Sam was a muscular man of action who fight in World War II against Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. He, along with his super team The Freedom Fighters, would continue the action on a parallel universe version of Earth called Earth X, where World War II lasted way longer than in our world.

Well, all of that having been said, the Uncle Sam in the comic we're discussing is not that Uncle Sam. In fact, this comic is not published by DC Comics, it's published by Vertigo. Vertigo is a subsidiary of DC Comics. Technically, DC and Vertigo take place in the same universe, but they keep to themselves and rarely interact. Vertigo stories tend to be a bit more mature, and in some cases, especially the horror comics, darker, than your typical DC fare. They're keep separate so that Vertigo stories can maintain a sense of drama and tension, without superheroes swooping in to save the day, and in some cases ruin the realism.

Okay, now that we've established all of that, let's talk about Uncle Sam. This story really captures the zeitgeist of the 1990s. Not so much in that it features any 1990s pop culture or tends as major plot points, but it really captures the feeling and spirit of that moment in time. Around the time this comic was written, back in 1997, America was dealing with a lot of major issues. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, America found itself the sole remaining global superpower. There was a lot of joy, but also a lot of fear and uncertain for what the 21st Century would bring the nation.

In 1992, the Rodney King trails and the LA Race Riots made national news, and it sure felt like America was trying to commit suicide. In 1995, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols bombed a federal building in Oklahoma City. A mere year or so after this comic was written, President Bill Clinton would face impeachment by Congress, in part because of his infamous scandal with Monica Lewinsky. Keep in mind, I was born on New Years Eve of 1992, so I only knew about all of this several years after the fact. My mother tells me that the Oklahoma City Bombing particularly chilled her because there was a daycare located very close to the building that was bombed.

The point is, America was reeling from a lot of shock, and a lot of people were questioning just what it meant to be American. Keep in mind, it was also around this time that historians began to turn a much more critical eye toward the events of American History.

Uncle Sam is divided into two issues. The first issue is an incredibly brutal deconstruction of the American Dream. Sam gets a firsthand of many of the tragedies and atrocities of American History. He witnesses the Trail of Tears and the Indian Wars. He is with Union soldiers in a Confederate POW camp. He witnesses the horror of a black man being lynched in the pre-Civil Rights South. There a particularly powerful scene where a lawn jockey, who also provides commentary for the lynching, calls Sam out on the ways that America has failed to deliver on its promises to Black Americans. An equally powerful scene is, when at the POW camp, a Union solider ask Sam if the war will be worth it. Sam can't bring himself to say if it will be. Throughout the first part of the comic, Sam's disheveled look brings to mind the famous "I Want Out" poster that was popular among protesters during the Vietnam War.

The second half of the comic, however, is a reconstruction of the American Dream. Throughout the first half of the comic, Sam has encountered a mysterious woman named Bea. Turns out that she's Columbia, the other personification of the United States of America. Columbia teaches Sam to view his history in a more nuanced way. For example, Sam is haunted by the vision of himself participating the suppression of Shay's Rebellion. However, Columbia points out that this resulted in the scrapping of the Articles of Confederation, and the adopted of the Constitution. The Constitution lead the strengthening of America's government, and the also ensured greater protection of rights and liberties for all Americans. Columbia shows him that, though the execution didn't always live up, there was never anything wrong with the idea of America, or the American Dream.

Sam also has conversations with Britannia, Marianne, and a Russian Bear; the personifications of Britain, France and Russia. With renewed vigor, Sam faces off against his greatest foe: a shadowy double of himself. The other Sam is bright, shiny and pretty much embodies the 1990s Republican view of America mixed with a heavy dose of reality television and consumerism. Sam defeats him by owning up to the mistakes throughout America History, but promising to learn from them and make sure that America becomes a better place for all people. Unlike his doppelgänger, Sam expresses a sincere and genuine view of the American Dream.

At the end of the comic we find Sam back on the same street he began on. Only this time he has the hat he's been missing throughout the comic, and his colors are just a bit less faded. He now looks a bit more like the famous "I want you" version of Uncle Sam. He picks himself up, dusts himself off and marches down the street singing "Yankee Doodle" with a renewed sense of purpose and direction.

The artwork is absolutely gorgeous. Alex Ross is famous for his photorealistic watercolor art style, and it is on full display in this comic. There is a section in the back of the comic that briefly explains the history of Uncle Sam the character; from his first incarnations as Brother Jonathan to the form we all know and love today.

One of the great ironies about America is that the same nation that, at its founding, denied women the right to vote and only count blacks as 3/5 of a human being wound up becoming one of the greatest forces for freedom, liberty and democracy in the world. America isn't perfect, but we are getting better. Hey, we got rid of slavery and twice elected a black president, that's got to count for something.

All too often people tend to look at history, especially American History, in a very black and white sort of way. The truth is for more nuanced, and painted in far more shades of grey. I think that's one of the big takeaways from this comic. As I've said, America isn't perfect, but we are getting better with each passing day.

This is a really special comic, and I think I'm made it clear that I love it very much. It was the product of a specific moment in history, and I don't think it could have been made today. Uncle Sam is, as of this writing, almost thirty years old, but it's just as relevant today as it was when it was first written. I cannot recommend Uncle Sam enough. It's another one of those top-of-the-line comics to me.

Well, I think that should do it for now. I will see you guys next time.

Comic Review: Three

I love to explore the potential of comic books and graphic novels as a medium. Yes, note that I said medium, not genre. Comics are medium in the same way that television, movies and books are a medium. If I hear another person refer to comics as a genre I will be very tempted to scream my head off. Nine times out of ten, when people refer to comics as a genre what they're really talking about are superhero comics. I love superhero comics as much as the next guy, and I do plan on reviewing some here, but comics can be about more than just superheroes. They can tell a story in any genre you can imagine. Such as, for example, historical fiction. 

Case in point, the comic we're going to be taking a look at today. We're reviewing the comic Three by Kieron Gillen and Ryan Kelly. 

Three takes place in Ancient Sparta in the year 364 BC. It follows three helots names Klaros, Damar and Trepander. They manage to survive as well as three helots can; each day's being its own small blessing. One night, their master, Eurytos, forces them and their fellow helots to get drunk and dance for his amusement. The trio kill Eurytos and his Spartiates in revenge for massacring their fellow helots. Now the three helots are on the run. Danger lurks around every corner as they are pursued by their master's son, Nestos, and a band of 300 Spartan warriors.

So yeah, this comic is, in many ways, intended to be the antithesis to Frank Miller's (in)famous comic-turned-movie 300. Kieron Gillen said that he was inspired to write this comic because he found 300 to be hypocritical, with how the Spartans bragged about fighting for freedom, and yet kept slaves. From the very first pages we get a sense of this. We begin with some helots picking olives, but then they're massacred by Spartans as part of the Krypteia. Krypteia was an annual festival where Spartans were allowed to kill helots just for fun. The Spartans did this to cull the helots, and prevent and slave revolts or other uprisings. It also did a lovely job of keeping the helots in constant fear.

I suppose I ought to explain what helots are. Helots were slaves who did all of the agricultural work, and other undesirable jobs, in Sparta. To say that it sucked to be a helot would be a massive understatement. Besides the Krypteia, there were several other ways to be killed. For example, when young Spartans trained to be warriors they had a final exam to take. However, if they successfully murdered a helot they automatically passed the final exam. We'll talk more about the helots in just a minute, but for now, let's talk about the comics as a whole.

You don't really see many historical fiction comics, at least in America; it's a different story in France and Japan. So, this comic was quite a treat, and there's a very strong commitment to historical accuracy. At the end of the comic there are several pages devoted to explaining the reasoning behind different panels of the comic, and the historical research behind them. There's also an extended conversation with a professor of Classical Antiquity who specializes in the study of Sparta.

Even without all of that you can just feel that there was a lot of time, love and research put into this comic. For example, at one point our trio of helots stop by a statue of Aphrodite, who is carrying a spear, and Trepander remarks that even the gods follow the insane way of life in Sparta. The Spartans did indeed worship Aphrodite. Ares was, unsurprisingly, Sparta's favorite god, but they did worship other gods. Aphrodite is often depicted as Ares' lover, and you could make an argument that love and war spring from the same sorts of passions and emotions. Also, all of the statues are depicted as fully painted in full color, just as they would have been in Ancient Greece.

Another point of note is when we met Nestos' mother Gyrtias. She's shown to clearly be the one in charge of the family plantation, especially after Eurytos is killed. Women in Sparta enjoyed quite a bit more freedom than most of the other city-states of Ancient Greece. They managed the farms and estates while the men were off fighting wars and waging battles.

Then there's the armor the Spartans wear. Nine times out of ten, when you see Ancient Greek helmets they tend to be Corinthian helmets. Corinthian helmets were the ones that covered almost all of the face, and often had plumes on the top. Those appear here, but they're always shown to be older, more antiqued armor inherited from previous generations. The overwhelming majority of the Spartan warriors wear opened-face conical pilos helmets; which is what most Spartans wore at the time of the story.

Overall, the way that Sparta feels in this comic is a nation past its prime. It's been almost 100 years since the famous Battle of Thermopylae. Sparta's glory days are behind it, and everyone in positions of power are keenly aware of this. That's why 300 warriors are sent after the three helots. Even a rebellion that small could have major ramifications for Sparta's waning way of life.

The artwork is absolutely gorgeous; I could start at the drawings all days. It is exactly the kind of quality you would expect from something created by Image Comics. Three clocks in at a total of five issues, and that's one of the few criticisms I have with this comic. It's so good, and I wish there had been more. Now, don't get me wrong, those five issues tell are complete story, and a pretty much perfect just the way they are. Still, I would maybe have liked to spend slightly longer with these characters. Kieron Gillen really should write mor historical fiction comics. If this is what he can do with the history of Sparta, imagine what he could do with other eras of history.

Now, let's talk about the characters themselves. I should warn you that there will be a few spoilers as we continue on past this point. I may wish to turn away if you'd rather avoid those.

Klaros is stoical and reserved. He keeps his head down and does his best to be average in everything he does, at least at the start of the comic. He does this a survival tactic to avoid being killed during the Krypteia. The strongest helots are always killed during the Krypteia. He also pretends to be crippled as part of this, but it turns out there's another, darker reason he does this.

To talk about what that is, we have to discuss the Messenian Wars. Messene was a rival city-state to Sparta, and they got into a war in 743 BC. Sparta won the war, and the Messenians were forced to became helots. In 685 BC the helots attempted a revolt, but they were crushed by the Spartans. In 371 Sparta got into a war with the city-state of Thebes, and the helots of Messene revolted again. This time, however, Sparta was defeated and Thebes emerged victorious. Thebes liberated Messene from Spartan rule, and re-established it as a free city once more. As you can imagine, Messene became a very popular destination for runaway helots.

Alright, so what's this got to do with Klaros? Well, during the war with Thebes some Messenians took refuge in a sacred grove. The Spartans were afraid they'd anger the gods if they went in, so they had their helots burn it down. Klaros was one of the helots who set the grove on fire. Also, turns out Klaros isn't his real name. The grove was in Stenyklaros, so he took the name Klaros so that he would never forget what he did that day. Klaros feels deep shame for what he did, and he's spent his life looking for a way to atone for his actions.

Damar is somewhat similar to Klaros in terms of personality. She lost her husband to the Krypteia a few years before the comic begins. In fact, he's one of the helots we see get killed in the opening pages of the comic. The biggest difference between Damar and Klaros is that, where Klaros has resigned himself to death's eventual embrace, Damar is determined to live and survive. She shows Klaros that, despite the tragedy of his past, he still has things to live for in the present.

Trepander, unlike his comrades, is known for his wit and has a flair for the dramatic. Of course, his tongue is what kicks off the plot. Eurytos didn't like what Trepander had to say while drunk, and that led to the slaughterer of the helots. Still, he is shown to be a loyal friend, and sticks by Klaros and Damar even in the darkest of times. It's implied that his constant joking and sharp remarks is the way he copes with the harsh realities of life as a helot.

I think it's clear by now that I absolutely love Three. Not just one of the best historical comics, but one of the best comics out there in general. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy today.

That should do it for now. I will see you guys next time.

Comic Review: Pax Romana

Time travel has long been used as a vehicle for creating alternate history.  Mark Twain did this in his classic novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.  L. Sprague de Camp also did this in Least Darkness Fall, the novel that inspired Harry Turtledove to study Byzantine History.  I bring this up because it relates to the comic that we're going to be taking a look at today.  We're taking a look at Pax Romana by Jonathan Hickman.

Pax Romana starts off in with a framing story in the megacity of Constantinople.  The Gene Pope, the bioengineered leader of the Catholic Church comprise of the genetic material of 1026 holy men and women, is telling the young emperor of the Holy Roman Empire the story of how the empire came to be.  Ah, but this isn't the Holy Roman Empire you're probably thinking of.  It is a Roman Empire that never fell, and where church and state are attached at the hip.

 It all start in the year 2050 of an alternate timeline.  Most of Europe had gone secular, and Islam was on the rise due to mass immigration.  The Church was losing support by the day, and might be on its last legs before long.  In a last-ditch effort to fix this, the Church sent a paramilitary force of 5000 individuals back in time to the year 312 AD.  The goal was to set up a stronger foundation for the Church and prevent the mistakes of the past from ever happening.

The forces were led by Nicholas Chase, the Pope's own nephew.  Well, technically, Caridnal Beppi Pelle was meant to be the leader, but Chase killed him shortly after the team arrived in the past.  Chase and his team decided to implement their own plan, while trying to stay true to the spirit of the original.  They were tasked with creating a better future, but can utopia ever be created by mere mortals?

I think I'll start by talking about the art.  I can best describe it as stylized minimalism.  You don't really get any true backgrounds, just some splashes of color and maybe a couple bit of furniture.  The characters themselves tend to be drawn mostly white with a few splashes of color.  I have to admit, I was rather skeptical at first, but it kind of won me over in the end.  There were times I did wish to see some more detailed backgrounds, but the minimalist style actually kind of works for this comic.

Let's talk about themes.  The description of society in the 2050 is actually a red herring for the true theme of the comic.  Namely, can a perfect society be run by imperfect beings?  As the old saying goes, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.  We see this from the very first issue when Nick assassinates Cardinal Pelle.  Of course, it goes beyond that as Nick's fellow mercenaries begin to develop their own plans and ambitions.  Still, in the end they're still pretty successful.  The technologically advanced future of the framing device, completed with colonies on Mars, is reveled to be the year 1492.

Just as a side note, when I first read this comic, the 2050 scenes seemed laughably unlikely.  These days, however, they seem eerily prophetic.  The socio-political part, not the Vatican developing time travel part.  Side note, why does the pope order all evidence of the time travel plot destroyed?  History is going to be changed so, one assumes, all incriminating evidence will be wiped away. 

I thought that the Romans were all well written.  Constantine is more than happy to receive help from the time travelers, but at the same time, he's no medieval moron.  He has his own plans and ambitions.  The Romans might be less technologically advanced than the future humans, but they're no less intelligent than them.  Although, when Constantine declares that the church will incorporate beliefs from many different religions, including heretical strands of Christianity, there is springily little push back.  He basically goes "I'm the Emperor and I say we do it this way, so there!" and beyond a token resistance, everyone is cool with this.  As far as Constantine himself creating such a syncretic religion, I can buy that.  He's often credited as the first Christian emperor of Rome, but he was a major devote of Apollo throughout his life, and his wasn't baptized until he was on his deathbed.

The Catholic Church in this alternate world is very catholic in the small-C sense of the word.  The Gene Pope's official titles include the Black Rabbi, the Last Caliph, the Panchen Lama, the Pratyekabuddha, the Eternal Priest of Amun-Ra, the White Shaman and, of course, the Bishop of Rome and the Vicar of Christ.  It's hinted that this is only a fraction of his full list of titles.

I will say it is a bit odd that Last Caliph is part of the list of title, since there's a good chance that Mohammad was never born in this alternate timeline.  There's brief mention that the positions of Gene Pope and Emperor of Rome have historically been one and the same.  This is likely a nod to how, starting with August, the Emperors of Rome also served as Pontifex Maximus, the chief priest of the Ancient Roman religion.  This position is where the pope gets the title of pontifex from. 

Okay, I've been putting it off for long enough.  This is, overall, not a bad comic.  That having been said, it's considerably overhyped, in my opinion.  If you look at a lot of the mainstream reviews, you'll see people gushing about how this is the next big thing, and how it's going to revolutionize the world of fiction.  These people obviously have not read much alternate history, or else they'd know that it's been done before.  Harry Turtledove's Guns of the South has a very similar premise to Pax Romana.  As do SM Stirling's Island in the Sea of Time series, Eric Flint's 1632 series, John Birmingham's Axis of Time series, and you could even go all the way back to the novel's I mentioned at beginning of this review.  That's not even getting into all of the online alternate historians who have tried their hands at such a scenario.

None of this makes Pax Romana a bad comic, but it does go to show that it's premise wasn't quite as groundbreaking as many professional reviewers would have you think.  The big problem I had was just how short the comic was.  We get some very tantalizing glimpses of the history of this alternate Roman Empire that are just begging for elaboration.  This really feels like one part of a much bigger story that never materialized, and overall it just feels incomplete.  As far as I can tell, Hickman never intended for there to be sequels, thus compounding the issue.

Granted, there is a timeline towards the end that chronicles some events in the history of this alternate universe, but it just isn’t the same as being able to see all of that in comic book form.  I know that Syfy has expressed interest in adapting Pax Romana.  If they do, I sure hope they expanded it into a full-series, rather than just a miniseries.  It worked wonders when Amazon did it with The Man in the High Castle.

Well, there you have it.  Pax Romana is far from a bad comic, but also quite a bit overhyped.  I think you'll find it reasonably enjoyable, if a bit lacking.  Well, I think that will do it for now.  I'm off to find more great comics to review for you guys.  I will see you all next time.

Comic Review: Arrowsmith

Well, I've run out of alternate history comics that don't feature alien space bats to share with you guys. That having been said, we shouldn't get disheartened. There are many great stories that can be told by combining alternate history with things such as magic and aliens. With that in mind, today we're taking a look at the comic Arrowsmith by Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco. 

Arrowsmith takes place in a world where magic and mythical creatures are real. They decided to reveal themselves to humanity during the Middle Ages and have lived in relative harmony since the Peace of Charlemagne in the year 803. By the year 1915 the nations of Europe are engaged in a great war with world-spanning consequences.

Fletcher Arrowsmith, a farm boy from the United States of Columbia, longs to get out and see the world. When the chance comes to join a volunteer regiment to fight for the Ententes, he leaps at the opportunity. He’s sure that it will be the adventure of a lifetime. However, Fletcher soon comes to find that war isn’t all fun and games. Before any of you ask, this comic has nothing to do with the band Aerosmith. 

Right off the bat I knew I was in for a good time with this story. An alternate history comic with magic, dragons and World War I? It had me at hello. Now, if you’re the kind of person who reads alternate histories for plausibility, you might have some issues with Arrowsmith. Ignoring the inherent implausibly of magic and mythical creatures, there’s the fact that the borders of North America and Europe are awfully concurrent despite the presumably massive changes to history.

Actually, why don’t I show you what North America and Europe look like in this world. I apologize in advance for the somewhat lackluster quality of these images, but they were the best I could find.

There’s a lot of archaic names, a bit more Balkanization, but they’re not too terribly different from Europe in our world’s 1915. The map of North America is just begging for elaboration. This tends to happen in a lot of alternate history works. The writers focus on the areas related to the story, and leave everything else as an afterthought. Mind you, this isn’t a criticism. I’ve done it enough in my own works, and there’s only so much you can fit into a given story. Plus, there are hints that there were plans for elaborations in future volumes. Hold that thought, we’ll get back to it in just a minute.

For now, let’s go back to plausibility. Okay, Arrowsmith isn’t the most plausible alternate history, but that was never the point. The idea of Arrowsmith was to tell a World War I story with magic and dragons added on top. In this regard, it more than succeeds. Beneath the magic and dragons, Arrowsmith is very much a typical World War I tale. We see Fletcher go from a wide-eyed idealist to a mature young man as he witnesses the horrors of war. Some of the most memorable, and touching, scenes are when Fletcher loses friends in combat. There’s also a scene that really reminded me of Kurt Vonnegut’s description of the bombings of Dresden and Munich during World War II. I’d tell you more, but I wouldn’t want to spoil such a great scene.

If there is a weakness to this comic its with how it handles its message. There does appear to be a bit of an anti-war theme, as per most works centered around World War I. However, it is a bit undercut by how cool all the battle scenes look. To be fair, it’s a problem that tends to be common among media with an anti-war message. Plus, I get the feeling that, as fun as the battles might be to watch, they’d be a lot less fun to participate in.

I would have also liked to see the non-human characters given a bit more focus. We only really have one, a golem named Rocky, who gets truly fleshed out. One thing I found interesting about him was that he worships the Norse gods. It would have been nice to see a little more about the religious beliefs of the magical creatures. Adding to that, there’s a scene where Fletcher has a vision of the Norse gods; it is ambiguous as to whether or not it was a hallucination induced by the stress of battle. Admittedly, overall these are relatively minor points. Instead, let’s talk more about the things I loved.

I like spotting all of the subtle differences from the 1915 of our world. For example, Uncle Sam still wants you, but he wears a stars and stripes wizard hat and robe. In fact, a lot of the propaganda posters in the background are based on those from our world’s World War I. I thought that the magic used by the Air Forces was responsibly well done. The pilots use special talismans to channel the energies of dragon hatchlings that sit on their shoulders. Also, on that note, I thought that the dragon hatchlings were absolutely adorable. I saw them and I thought “Aw, I want one!” The artwork is really well done. The landscapes and backgrounds are great, and the characters are well drawn

I also found it interesting that there’s still plenty of technology along with all the magic. We see magic powered ships, but certain scenes show that steam powered ships are still in use. There are also hints that there’s a bit of a rivalry between magic users and technology advocates. That is, if comments made by Fletcher’s blacksmith father are anything to go by.

Arrowsmith tells a complete story, but it was intended to be part of a bigger series. For whatever reason, the sequels never materialized. Kurt Busiek hinted, back in 2011, that there might be hope yet. At this point, however, I think it’s safe to say these sequels probably aren’t going to see the light of day. It’s a damn shame, there’s so much potential for sequels. The world could have really gotten fleshed out, and not just with the continuing adventures of Fletcher and company. There could have been prequels set in earlier eras of history; the possibilities are endless.

I guess most of the criticisms I’ve voiced can really be put down to how much I loved this comic and wish it had sequels. It’s such a good comic book, and I desperately wish there were more. Still, perhaps it’s best to not dwell on what could have been, but celebrate what is. Arrowsmith is one of the best alternate history and fantasy comics out there. If you’re looking for a fantasy twist on World War I, or a good comic in general, it can't be beat.