Review: Pax Romana #1-4 (Image Comics, ’07-‘08)
Pax Romana written and illustrated by Jonathan Hickman is the latest miniseries in my long (6 long boxes) list of reading. What interested me in this series was Hickman’s previous work The Nightly News. It is interesting that when reading each issue there were shipping delays for various reasons. When I purchased these books coming out, they were under ordered even though the shipping changes had been announced about new release dates. This shows me how much my comic book store misses out on certain details which lead me to get incomplete runs. Fortunately the store manager gives me first pulls on books with low orders, though sometimes I miss out on books that I later purchase on the internet; Amber Atoms (Image Comics), Drain (Image Comics), Madame Xanadu (DC Comics), Mighty (DC Comics), Atomika (Mercury Comics), pretty much every Dark Reign book (Marvel Comics) even the ones not on my pull list come to mind (Yes, I’m venting).
The story was a little wordy do to the way the art looked. I imaged taking a Drew Struzan movie poster and adding text to the illustration. This is a very hard task which I think Hickman did a very fine job incorporating text to image. I liked how the generals accomplished certain goals which made it seem like less of a struggle between what was morally right with religion and what was socially right knowing the course of human events. They went back in time to change how society views each other. They were able to do it, though the path was difficult and uncertain. It was a nice take on a children’s story were the child already knows what happens, but for his advisor it was the journey that was most important.
It is tough with Image books because whenever the writer or artist hit it big they release different formats of their initials works. I might not be willing to buy a trade version of this series due to the fact that very soon Jonathan Hickman’s work is going to blow up and limit/signed hardcover versions of this miniseries will be printed. For those who were frustrated about the lateness of this series, I would say it was worth the wait reading from start to finish even with the delays.
“Two doctrines: Christendom and the Lesser Path to Heaven - for pious men who choose to make the more difficult journey.”
Constantine Augustus Pax Romana #3
The story was a little wordy do to the way the art looked. I imaged taking a Drew Struzan movie poster and adding text to the illustration. This is a very hard task which I think Hickman did a very fine job incorporating text to image. I liked how the generals accomplished certain goals which made it seem like less of a struggle between what was morally right with religion and what was socially right knowing the course of human events. They went back in time to change how society views each other. They were able to do it, though the path was difficult and uncertain. It was a nice take on a children’s story were the child already knows what happens, but for his advisor it was the journey that was most important.
It is tough with Image books because whenever the writer or artist hit it big they release different formats of their initials works. I might not be willing to buy a trade version of this series due to the fact that very soon Jonathan Hickman’s work is going to blow up and limit/signed hardcover versions of this miniseries will be printed. For those who were frustrated about the lateness of this series, I would say it was worth the wait reading from start to finish even with the delays.
“Two doctrines: Christendom and the Lesser Path to Heaven - for pious men who choose to make the more difficult journey.”
Constantine Augustus Pax Romana #3