And Then I Read: AGE OF BRONZE 28
May 16th, 2009 by Todd
© Eric Shanower.
I’m continuing to enjoy Shanower’s epic, now deep into the first major battle of the Trojan war. This series is another great example of what small press is best at: a quirky, personal project with depth. Great depth, in this case. Sure, you can read the Marvel Comics adaptation of Homer’s Iliad, and get the gist of the story, but this one goes way beyond that, even way beyond Homer. Eric is drawing together and combining everything written about the Trojans and Achaeans and their war. In this issue, for instance, he includes elements from Ovid, Chaucer and Shakespeare. And his research is also in depth, from visiting the site to finding sources for clothing and weapons from the time.
The one drawback to his approach is that the cast is huge, and it’s hard to tell them apart at times, especially in battle scenes, where the figures tend to be smaller to get in some of the scope of the battle. In a perfect world, where cost was no object, one could imagine some of this expanding to double-gatefold spreads, four pages wide. Eric does the best he can with the space he has. And, as above, takes time to develop character and plot.
Recommended, though I’d suggest starting with the trade paperbacks rather than jumping in at this point:
[...] Todd Klein likes Eric Shanower’s Age of Bronze. As well he [...]