| |
|
 |
|
I
Am Legion: The Dancing Faun
AUG/2004
Publisher: Humanoids/DC Comics
Writer: Fabien Nury
Translation: Justin Kelly
Artist: John Cassaday
Colors: Laura Martin
Letters: Patrick Lehance & Moscow Eye
Price: $6.95US/R79.00 SA
|
After spending most of my evenings for the past few weeks on the
couch with my wife watching the DVD set of ‘Band of
Brothers’ I was more than ready for a good War comic.
I Am Legion is a superb comic based on happenings during WW II but
it’s not quite as simple as that, read on to find out.
DC Comics teams up with its European publishing partner, Humanoids,
to bring us the international release of Fabien Nury
and John Cassaday’s WW II based supernatural
thriller, I Am Legion.
The year is 1942 and World War II is beginning to really heat up.
A mysterious murder has taken place in the center of London’s
richest and most elite circles. The inexplicable part is
that the victim has been drained of blood and has strange cut marks
on his body. A crack team of special investigators is employed
to figure the obscurity out. Meanwhile the resistance in Rumania
is struggling to survive against the German onslaught and a
young girl is being experimented upon by the Germans as they believe
her to hold the ultimate weapon with which to win the war...
her ability to control the minds and actions of others.
I have never read any of Fabien Nury’s works before this,
probably because none have been translated before this one, but
he’s made a fan of me just by reading this one book. Hat’s
off to Nury and his translator Justin Kelly for
creating a seamless translation from French into English. It’s
as if this was written in this language to begin with as there are
absolutely no errors or slip-ups to be found throughout this production.
This is saying a lot because Nury writes much like Kevin
Smith [Daredevil, Green Arrow]
does, in that there is a ton of dialogue and information thrown
at the reader. This relatively short fifty-five page prestige format
[square/perfect bound and normally double the length of a normal
comic] book took me several sittings to get through due to the vastly
detailed script and gorgeous visuals, but more about that later.
It’s just such good reading and viewing that you’ll
want to savor each and every page for at least 2 minutes, thus making
it a solid 2 hour read.
There are three crossover storylines that take
place within this book, and all three are handled very well. Firstly
you have a murder mystery, secondly a WW II classic: ‘The
Resistance fighters vs. the Germans’, and thirdly a paranormal
tale of a secret weapon inside the Reich. The murder mystery is
perfectly handled and the ensuing investigation painstakingly detailed
and filled to the brim with great dialogue.
The Resistance fighters’ chapter is where the action steps
in as we see them constantly on the run and in skirmishes with the
Germans. Finally the supernatural part of the book links back to
both the murder and the Resistance as it slowly unfolds towards
the climatic finish in which we see the true horrific power and
potential of Legion. A sparkling job of writing in both
plot and dialogue make this one of the most well thought out and
thoroughly engaging reads I’ve had all year. Nury
pays attention to the history and timeline surrounding his story
yet also manages to not let it bog him down as he writes a strong
mystery, intriguing action scenes and a great ending.
The spiritual/paranormal ideas in the book give it the edge over
other straight-forward WW II based comics and it’s great that
Nury has linked his primary character to biblical truths
and personalities as it makes it all the more riveting and real.
Do yourself a favour once you’ve read this comic and go and
read Mark 5 in the New Testament and you’ll have an even better
idea of what could be behind the weirdness and mystery that is Legion.
If good writing isn’t enough to sell this book to you then
I’ve got two words that’ll have you running down to
your local comics shop, John Cassaday [Astonishing
X-Men, Captain America, Planetary].
If you’re wondering who this is then go ask for the latest
Astonishing X-Men, you won’t be sorry you did and your view
of new-school comic art will never be the same. Cassaday has to
be just about the best artist out there when it comes to photo-realistic
and highly detailed comic artwork.
From the cars to the backdrops and costume work this looks like
the comic book version of such blockbuster WW II films/series as
Schindler’s List, Saving Private
Ryan and Band of Brothers. Small super-detailed
panels full of intricate settings and authentic costume work make
this a pleasure to look at, although it looks like it got sized
down for this reprint and I have to say that this would be a marvel
to behold in a larger format. Laura Martin [Astonishing
X-Men, Ruse] rounds of the cracker-jack
art team with a stunning coloring job. Her muted colours mix perfectly
with Cassaday’s realistic tone.
All in all this book has impressed me more than any other
in recent months. With life-like artwork and a gripping
story it’s as close to an epic mini-series or war movie as
it gets, don’t hesitate to pick up a copy today. The only
catch is that the second and possibly third books aren’t finished
yet and the wait is just going to feel like forever.
Score 10/10
Reviewed By:Iain Duncan
|
|
|
|
Comic Reviews
