Forgotten Realms- The Legend of Drizzt Vol II: Exile #1, 2
R.A. Salvatore , Andrew Dabb & Tim Seeley
What is it to be a hero? To be popular amongst your people? To do what your people wish done? What if your kin, and all those similar are evil? How do you express your disdain without divorcing yourself from your people? Exile explores the life of a heroic personage, who needs to create his family and kin from ties other than blood. He learns to love and adopt truth and faith from purely intellectual and spiritual decisions. Meanwhile, his kin House Do’Urden schemes against him as it seems to be unable to let go of the wayward child Drizzt Do’Urden. Drizzt was presented first to readers in the book Crystal Shard, and while he was striking in his newness, he was presented as mostly completed being. Reading Exile allows you to see the reasons and motives within his heart.
and makes the character in Crystal Shard seem all the more tragically heroic. Salvatore’s writing was intimate and true, and Dabb’s especially able, but the true gem here is the art. I think Seeley is very under rated, and the coloring is fabulous especially given the limits of the world presented. Somehow, someway, if you like fantasy, or swords and sorcery, pick up this book.
Rex Libris is a librarian from the most ancient times, and from the great and legendary library of Alexandria in particular. His goal seems to be something like that of the defender of thought and gathered human knowledge. The example I’d make is that RL seems to be a holy warrior for where society’s greatest achievements are kept, and is deposited in our human archives, libraries. The work is Steve Ditkoesque in that it is a story and character study that is about ethics and societal goals, if not morals. James Turner’s monologue beneath the page content is also similar to Steve Ditko’s methods of discussion of ethical and moral dilemmas and Ayn Rand inspired objectivist views. Not that the views are similar, necessarily, but as for a type of comic, it is clear that this is a work in the style of Steve Ditko. The art is mindblowingly simple, yet completely complex. Huh? I mean, there is no waste, no line without meaning, and no symbol without purpose. As such the work looks simple but has so much more meaning. Is the art good? It is not really a question of that, the art is perfect for the story but I am sure that a person looking for beautiful pictures will be disappointed. Too damn bad. The story is stunning. I find myself rather amused by the great and glorious goals of this work, and how in some ways it achieves those goals. I do not think that this is a work that everyone will love. But it is a good work, one that a literate audience will adore, and a work that is far greater than lines and words upon the paper.
CORPORATE NINJA #1
Matt Mocarski
A company struggles to sell its product, Fish. The Blue Fish Company attempts to sell more of its product in the face of difficult market realities. Apparently Blue Fish Company has a difficult time selling product to women. So the corporate ninja is called into action. He goes ape, especially when dealing with a woman and her son who have resisted efforts to sell her product. This a book that uses humor to investigate the differences between men and women, as well as to use direct and simple physical humor to make the level of potential seriousness far lower. The satire of the office as well as gender politics offers many pitfalls and dangers. Mocarski seems to understand that and as such there are a great deal of attempts at humor. Does the succeed? I did not laugh much. But I did think that this is a work wherein the goal and reason for the work is not altogether easily seen. I am not really of an opinion directly, I found it a pleasant read without necessarily “liking” it. I am interested in it, but it was not a great success.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Thank you to all the providers of review product, and thank you to the creative talents who made the product.
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