Johanna's Image Capsules: Age of Bronze, Bunker, Mythstalkers, Savage Dragon
Johanna Draper Carlson
The Bunker
Mythstalkers #3
Savage Dragon #108
Age of Bronze #17
by Eric Shanower
Image Comics, 24 black-and-white pages, $3.50
I'm astounded by how believable Mr. Shanower makes the most outrageous
incidents of myth. In this issue, Agamemnon has to decide whether to
sacrifice his daughter in order to appease the gods and continue the
war. It's not the kind of conflict any of us will ever see, but the
motivations are so cleverly developed that it still somehow makes sense.
The exposure to another culture is eye-opening, truly making history
live.
I admit, there are so many complex characters, all beautifully detailed,
and an entire gamut of emotions, so much that I lose track. Thus I found
Mr. Shanower's answers in the letter column, where he talks about his
plans and inspirations, one of my favorite parts of the issue. I enjoy
reading a thoughtful artist's insights on his creation. Also, we're one
issue closer to the next collection, which I'm very much looking forward
to.
The Bunker
by Bruce Mutard
Image Comics, 96 black-and-white pages, $9.95
Told from the perspective of a naive teenage boy, the incidents in this
graphic novel revolve around his fascination with his neighbor, a
fast-living girl who spends most nights in the top bunk of his bed to
get away from her home. The promotional and descriptive material plays
up the "dark secret" that she's trying to escape from, but I bet you've
already guessed it, just from that synopsis. Since the surprise isn't
all that surprising, the significant question is whether the journey is
worth the read. I thought that the book didn't explore enough of the
feelings of its characters. The story is mostly "and then this
happened", without the depth I expect from a good faux autobiographical
comic.
The girl's perspective is by far the most interesting one, but we never
get close enough to her character to understand her motivations. She's
simply a catalyst for the boy, whose internal life is mostly unexamined.
I wish I had been more involved with the characters or events, given the
artist's nine-year devotion to this project, but in comparison to the
beauty of Adrian Tomine's work or the internal observation of Evan
Dorkin or the charming emotionalism of Tom Beland, this is lacking,
although heartfelt.
Mythstalkers #3
Writer: Douglas Barre
Art: Jiro
Image Comics, 32 color pages, $2.95
Only three issues, and already the book has fallen into a rut. The team
(whose characters are still interchangeable) faces a life-threatening
monster; they somehow escape in time to find themselves in danger from
another creature by the end of the book. It's a series of incidents more
than a story.
So far it reminds me of a high school project to retell mythological
tales in a different setting, with about the same level of writing
skill. In order to show the research, the professor character drops
large lumps of background information into the conversation every so
often. Obviously, I'm not the only one tired of this, since the other
characters even make fun of him for doing so. I think that's supposed to
mitigate the problem, but it only serves to draw attention to it.
This issue starts with the gang getting away from a minotaur by pulling
a variation of the Abbott and Costello "Who's on First" routine. This is
followed by the team encountering a ghost ship. There are various
intimidations of doom, but they leave without incident in order to run
into the Labyrinth of Crete, where the cliffhanger has them facing the
minotaur.
The faces are still the same from person to person, with only the hair
styles and colors to differentiate. No matter the characters' ages, they
all have the same generic body type, and there's still a noticeable lack
of backgrounds. The monsters are nicely drawn, though.
Savage Dragon #108
by Erik Larsen
Image Comics, 32 color pages, $2.95
There's an island of gods floating over the city. The president is about
to declare war because he fears another country has Weapons of Mass
Destruction. Someone in a clunky suit of mechanized armor (that looks a
lot like the original Iron Man) winds up fighting with Thor. The
protagonist saves a little girl through the use of Spider-Man's
webshooters. I've seen all these storylines elsewhere recently; summer's
the perfect time to read this comic, because it's the print equivalent
of rerun season.
There are numerous footnotes, which I found really helpful as a new
reader, since the characters spend lots of time talking about what's
happened in previous issues. Given the obvious importance of history to
enjoying this issue, it helps to have the background so I don't feel
completely lost.
Seeing Thor portrayed as a murdering rapist started me wondering all
kinds of unpleasant things. Like did Marvel do something to tick off Mr.
Larsen? Is this what he means when he says there should be more comics
for kids? Was the victim drawn without eyes as some kind of perverted
homage to Little Orphan Annie? Everything else in the book reminds me of
someone's else's property or stories, so why not this one? I didn't even
mention the faceless guy on flying skis. Didn't they do that Silver
Surfer parody gag in JUSTICE LEAGUE?
--
Johanna Draper Carlson
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