Welcome to the latest edition of my (almost) biweekly review column. This time around, I will be looking at CrossGen Chronicles #3 and the first issue of Joss Whedon's Fray miniseries.
CrossGen Chronicles #3, $3.95 US, published by CrossGen Comics
Writer: Laura DePuy; Pencils: George Perez; Inks: Mike Perkins
Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars
The is my first review of a book from the new kid on the block, Mark Alessi's CrossGen Comics. I happen to be new to the CrossGen universe. CrossGen Chronicles #3 is only the third comic I've picked up. Before that, I bought the first two issues of Crux, due to my enjoyment of past work by Mark Waid and Steve Epting. I ended up liking Crux a lot (I'll probably do a review one of these days), so I decided to see what else CrossGen had to offer. I bought CrossGen Chronicles #3 on the strength of George Perez's pencils, as well as the fact that it had a self-contained story.
CrossGen Chronicles #3 is a prequel to the events in CrossGen's ongoing series Meridian. Despite the fact that I have never read a single issue of Meridian, I found the story in Chronicles #3 to be very accessible. The story is set on the planet Demetria, and the inside front cover of the issue gives a detailed summary of settings, events & characters, something I found extremely helpful. As for the actual story, Barbara Kesel wrote a story that (presumably) ties in with Meridian, while simultaneously staying self-contained. This is a difficult feat to achieve in comic books, and many writers have failed at it. But Kesel definitely succeeds here.
Chronicles #3 reveals the meeting, courtship and marriage of Turos & Ideria, the parents of Sephie, the protagonist of Meridian. The story delves into the socio-political background of Demetria and its various floating island cities, including Meridian itself. We are shown the hints of rivalry between Turos and his younger brother Ilahn. The former, the heir to rule of Meridian, seeks to bring economic reforms to Demetria, while the later covets only power. Both brothers want the hand of the Lady Ideria in marriage. For Turos, it is a genuine love, but Ilahn sees Ideria as but an acquisition, another prize to be seized. Ideria herself is a kind, gentle woman, a talented artist and the daughter of skilled airship-builders. She falls in love with Turos, but feels his high social standing will prevent them from ever marrying. But Turos, with the aid of his close friend Jon, makes plans to elope with Ideria on the test flight of her parents' newly designed airship. Unfortunately, the jealous Ilahn decides that if he cannot have Ideria, than no one will. Traveling above & across Demetria, fighting off various menaces (including those engineered by Ilahn), Turos and Ideria learn from the Muse of Giatin, an oracle, that their as-yet unconceived daughter (Sephie) will one day play a key role in determining Demetria's future. The issue concludes in the present, as the teenaged Sephie, now the orphaned ruler of Meridian, is told of her parents' history by the Muse.
The art by George Perez & Mike Perkins is fantastic. There are several double-page spreads that are simply gorgeous. Perez's style is definitely suited to the fantasy genre. He hasn't illustrated much work of this sort since he left Wonder Woman over a decade ago, so it is nice to see him return to this type of material. As good as his recent work was on Avengers, I really feel it has much more of an impact here. His tremendously-detailed pencils are perfectly suited for illustrating the fantastical world of Demetria. I am not familiar with Mike Perkins, but he did a fine job of inking Perez's elaborate work.
The only complaint I have is regarding the art is Perez's depiction of Ilahn. He is drawn in such a sneering, haughty manner that just screams "slimy weasel." He is all-too-obviously a villain. I realize Perez is merely drawing a younger version of a character from a different book. But it would have been more interesting if Perez had found a way to make the youthful Ilahn's villainous qualities more subtle. After all, I expect this would be the point in Ilahn's life where he was quietly scheming and consolidating his power behind the scenes, when he wouldn't want his true nature to be so obvious. As it is, the only thing Ilahn is missing in this book is a nefarious laugh and a mustache to twirl. Another problem is that Ilahn is supposed to be younger than Turos, but instead he looks older.
I definitely have to compliment colorist Laura DePuy's work on Chronicles #3. Coloring such highly detailed art must have been a time-consuming challenge. I suspect that a few pots of coffee were involved in the process! DePuy did an outstanding job of coloring the "art within the art," namely the numerous illustrations by Ideria that appear throughout the book as the character draws a visual diary of her experiences. DePuy gave these illustrations a classical, old-world feel that was reminiscent of old manuscripts. I could almost imagine the feel of the texture of the paper Ideria was drawing on from the tones used by DePuy. The effect is stunning.
Fray #1, $2.99 US, published by Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Joss Whedon; Pencils: Karl Moline; Inks: Andy Owens
Rating 3 out of 5 stars
This is all my sister Rebecca's fault.
Oh, it started innocently enough, with her asking me to tape Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel a few times when she wasn't home to watch them. But then my curiosity got the better of me, and I ended up watching one of the Angel episodes. I liked it. So I started watching the show each week. And I kept hearing about Buffy from Rebecca, so I ended up trying that out, too. And liking it. And watching it each and every week. Which brings us to the present. Or, rather, the future.
Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy and Angel makes his comic book debut with Fray, an eight issue miniseries set in the same continuity as the television shows, but hundreds of years from now. Set in a Blade Runner-esque dystopian Manhattan, we are introduced to Melaka Fray: teenager, cat burglar, and, apparently, the latest Vampire Slayer. In the opening, we learn (via a pair of conveniently expository demons) that there has not been a Slayer for two centuries. Now a new "Chosen One" has arisen: Melaka. Only she doesn't know it yet. And the demons plan to kill her before she does find out.
Meanwhile, Melaka is at work, snatching a valuable pendant for her employer, the amphibious mutant crimelord Gunther. She also has to put up with agents dispatched by Gunther's rival Reubrin, as well as avoid her older sister Erin, who is on the NYC Police Department. And then comes a strange, wide-eyed man, who tells her "You are the Chosen" before setting himself on fire. All in all, Melaka has a hell of a rough day, and it isn't over yet when the first issue ends.
At a time when the comic industry is in such dire shape, it's certainly a good thing for someone like Joss Whedon, the creator of two popular, high-profile television shows, to pen a comic series. He is taking advantage of an already-established audience by setting that series in the same continuity as Buffy and Angel. Fray ties in with the franchise, while nevertheless remaining unique. By setting it several centuries in the future, Whedon gives us a look at a world we have never seen in the TV shows.
As first issues go, this one plays the part of exposition, introducing the cast and settings. Unfortunately, a tremendous amount of explanation is required, as this is a time and place that is completely unfamiliar, populated by brand-new characters. Little room is left for actual plot advancement. Just as the story starts to pick up, the issue comes to an end.
There is also some confusion as to the nature of Melaka Fray. In the opening sequence, she is pushed off the roof of a tall building by two of Reubrin's thugs. Falling, Melaka bounces off several objects before hitting the ground hard. But the only apparent damage is a bloody nose, and she quickly recovers to fight off the thugs. Finally, she escapes by leaping about twenty feet in the air and grabbing hold of a passing hoverbus. No explanation is given as to how she is able to do all this. Slayers do have superhuman strength and agility, but even that would not have prevented her from being seriously harmed in this sequence. Additionally, both the demons' and the crazy man's dialogue indicate Melaka has only just become the Chosen One, which means she wouldn't have had unusual abilities in the past. But Melaka is completely unfazed by her seeming invulnerability in this issue, suggesting it is something she has possessed for some time. Whedon should have delved into this, if only in an expository caption or two, rather than leaving the reader in the dark as to how Melaka had become like this.
While the dystopian metropolis is now a cliched element of science fiction, it works here. The simultaneously hi-tech and run-down Manhattan of Fray is a startling contrast to the suburban town of Sunnydale where Buffy takes place. I expect it will also serve to increase the drama of Melaka fighting such ancient supernatural beings as vampires and demons.
Whedon throws in a few interesting references to the Slayer continuity. As mentioned before, Melaka is referred to as "The Chosen." And mention is made of the Watchers, the group that has guided Slayers throughout history. One of the demons refers to the Watchers as "lunatics and fools," a line that gave me a laugh. As viewers of Buffy and Angel know, the Watchers are typically depicted as arrogant, eccentric scholars ensconced in an ivory tower, leaving the dirty work of saving the world from darkness to the Slayer and any other agents they feel they can manipulate. So the phrase "lunatics and fools" does rather sum them up.
The artwork by Karl Moline and Andy Owens is well-suited to the story. They seem equally adept at rendering high-tech skyscrapers, poverty-stricken slums, and ancient, haunted graveyards. Melaka is drawn as a beautiful, yet tough individual. Her face is marked by a world-weary expression and a scar across her cheek. Moline and Owens successfully communicate both the character's jaded experience and her air of scared, not-quite-lost innocence.
Altogether, while not particularly impressive on its own, Fray #1 nevertheless does set the stage for a potentially interesting story. Where precisely the plot is going from here is almost impossible to tell. But it piqued my interest enough that I will be back at least for the next issue, to see what develops.