Review: Odysseus In Defiance Of The Gods
How about a journey into one of the oldest surviving works of literature, kept unflinchingly mature in its presentation and focusing on the king of Ithaca in art so good you'd assume appeasement of Apollo? I'm sure Homer would approve, so make like Hermes to Odysseus In Defiance Of The Gods from Laurence Alison, Vú Danh and Bhuna.
Laurence Alison is a writer and forensic psychologist known for previous works, Hedrek, Out There, Warfighter and Madness & Monsters, and now works for indie publisher PSYcomics.
Vú Danh is a Vietnamese-based artist and graduate of the Vietnam University of Fine Arts. He is a concept artist, video game character designer, comic artist and novel illustrator.
Neil "Bhuna" Roche is a small press artist, designer and letterer. He illustrated for Vanguard, Dr WTF, Massacre for Boys and Zarjaz, as well as co-creating Unit 666 and publishing and illustrating Killing Moon and Killing Moon Rises. Prolific producers presented, it's onto the next bit.
So, let's start with the art. Confession: I'm wearing a bib while typing to protect my keyboard as I seem unable to re-sit my jaw from the floor due to the impact of this black & white art. Vú Danh showcases stunning lines and composition in a Classicism style. This is authentic feeling art presented in a very modern medium. The crosshatching work is judged to deftly perfection, proffereing art with a timeless quality.
The splash pages on offer are incredible, holding an essence that feels special. Imagine a woodcut or etching and the level of commitment and skill that requires to create practically, and then to make it so absolute and permanent. That's what this art is worthy of, those levels of care, attention and regard. It's highly accomplished, technically marvelling, jaw-repositioning marvellous monochrome art.
Vú Danh's art is framed by the lettering of Neil Bhuna, who has delivered a professional feat of excellence to letter this one so clearly and yet leave Danh's art to be so impactful. I imagine some really difficult moments in decision making came with placement, but it is delivered perfectly. Classic comic art of a classical nature in every regard and meaning. Swooning subsided, how's the story?
Laurence Alison brings to print another telling of the epic of Odysseus, but where others have focused on the journey and its fantasy, Laurence is more honed in on the man himself. Even in its original and earliest portrayals, the consensus would be that this was a hero's tale, and it is often left to modern tellings to question and probe the morality of Odysseus.
I believe what Laurence has created here is a frank look at a man ravaged by the psychological impact of the character's plot based origin. It is inescapable that Odysseus is a character born of a decade at war. It is the root of the Odyssey, the story of a returning soldier, but Laurence focuses the attention on the seated fog of conflict.
This Odysseus seems devoid of the poetic romance you'd associate him with. The romanticised ideal of a hero is instead replaced with what at first could be read as an ego-driven sadist, a paranoid killer, a smart and cunning man whose intellect is a prerequisite for violence. A monster of a man, even when facing monsters.
This comic is for mature readers with unflinching brutality. It will be fascinating to see how Laurence unpacks this further. It feels like a lens for the ugly truths of PTSD, but I imagine this one has so much to say. There's a really interesting look at the psyche of violence dressed in the most classical of tales, I suppose the story of violence is the oldest the species knows. A modern retelling of this subject through an art laden medium in a vehicle of an old story offers an exciting, enticing prospect.
For fans of The Odyssey, Greek mythology, conflict, brutality, maiming ocularly challenged creatures that simply care for a horned fluff ball, psychology, lines of morality, re-seeing heroes as villains and the hardship of defining one's will, in art to appease and delight the gods set your sights on Odysseus In Defiance Of The Gods.
To get your guaranteed copy, no epic journey is needed; simply join the crew of backers who have already got this one funded at the Kickstarter campaign here. There you'll also find all the handy links for these talented creators.
Review: 4.7/5
