Arrowsmith #4
Sorry it's been a week since the last update, gang -- I've been on something of a vacation with my beautiful girlfriend, Erin. I'll be here more regularly now, though, and I'm going to get back to the "theme" I had planned before I decided to go headfirst into Superman Week. For the next few days, I'm going to share with you some reviews of assorted Wildstorm comics...
Originally presented at Comixtreme.com
Quick Rating: Excellent
Title: La Vie En Escadrille
Fletcher Arrowsmith deals with the fact that life as an airman is not the grand adventure he had dreamed of.
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Pencils: Carlos Pacheco
Inks: Jesus Merino
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Editor: Scott Dunbier
Cover Art: Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm/Cliffhanger
Review: One thing you can always say about Kurt Busiek’s writing is that he always finds a way to make his protagonist someone you can relate to, someone you could imagine yourself being had your life gone just slightly different. Many of us, having grown up in a world of magic like Fletcher Arrowsmith, would have dreamed of joining the airmen and going off to fight the good fight against a bitter foe. This issue is about Fletcher coming to grips that war is not an adventure, but a necessary horror, something that must be endured rather than sought out.
The battle scenes in this series continue to be some of the most thrilling things I have read in all my years of reading comic books. The airmen in Fletcher’s world bond with Dragonets and share their powers for intense mid-air combat, yet with all their powers the airmen get close enough to have mile-high swordfights. This is a comic book screaming to be translated into a big-budget action spectacle - if only one could be assured that the studio would maintain the character element that is the backbone of the series.
Pacheco’s character designs are dynamic and exciting, while still looking faithful to a year 1915 that, while not the same as our own, is not that far removed. In the recent exclusivity wars that Marvel and DC have been having, landing Pacheco is the best score DC has made from an artistic standpoint.
Fantasy? War? Alternate history? This comic book has the best elements of all three genres blended together seamlessly. Every time Busiek does a personal project like this, he raises his own bar. It is a testament to his talent that he always makes it over the bar on the next jump.
Rating: 5/5
Originally presented at Comixtreme.com
Quick Rating: Excellent
Title: La Vie En Escadrille
Fletcher Arrowsmith deals with the fact that life as an airman is not the grand adventure he had dreamed of.
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Pencils: Carlos Pacheco
Inks: Jesus Merino
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Editor: Scott Dunbier
Cover Art: Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm/Cliffhanger
Review: One thing you can always say about Kurt Busiek’s writing is that he always finds a way to make his protagonist someone you can relate to, someone you could imagine yourself being had your life gone just slightly different. Many of us, having grown up in a world of magic like Fletcher Arrowsmith, would have dreamed of joining the airmen and going off to fight the good fight against a bitter foe. This issue is about Fletcher coming to grips that war is not an adventure, but a necessary horror, something that must be endured rather than sought out.
The battle scenes in this series continue to be some of the most thrilling things I have read in all my years of reading comic books. The airmen in Fletcher’s world bond with Dragonets and share their powers for intense mid-air combat, yet with all their powers the airmen get close enough to have mile-high swordfights. This is a comic book screaming to be translated into a big-budget action spectacle - if only one could be assured that the studio would maintain the character element that is the backbone of the series.
Pacheco’s character designs are dynamic and exciting, while still looking faithful to a year 1915 that, while not the same as our own, is not that far removed. In the recent exclusivity wars that Marvel and DC have been having, landing Pacheco is the best score DC has made from an artistic standpoint.
Fantasy? War? Alternate history? This comic book has the best elements of all three genres blended together seamlessly. Every time Busiek does a personal project like this, he raises his own bar. It is a testament to his talent that he always makes it over the bar on the next jump.
Rating: 5/5