Review: The Panharmonion Chronicles
How about some pond jumping, time-hopping, matter transporting, Quantum Entanglement exploring, fabric of reality questioning storytelling in art from the inkmaster king of reflected light? The Panharmonion Chronicles from Henry Chebaane and Stephen Baskerville will be right up your street.
The Panharmonion Chronicles is the debut comic and first of three books, from the multimedia-disciplined talent of Henry Chebaane. Henry is a French-British artist known for his branding and interior design work as well as writing songs and producing music under the alias LX8. he also has several novels currently under development. Stephen Baskerville probably needs no introduction but is a seasoned professional comic artist, most revered for his work on Transformers with credits including Spider-man, Judge Dredd, 2000AD, GI Joe, The Beano, Hitch-hikers Guide To The Galaxy, Thundercats, Ghostbusters and many more. Stephen also has ten years of experience as a video game concept artist for Reservoir Dogs and Doctor Who. Phew! These are busy, prolific gentlemen, and now you know your artists.
So, let's start with the art. Stephen Baskerville creates modern-developed, bronze age of comics edged art, with a particular flair for capturing light and contrast. For The Panharmonion Chronicles, Stephen is responsible for pencils, inks, colours and letters. All of which are delivered with great accomplishment.
The character work is excellent in its execution, with the realism style full shining expertise. A style fully bolstered by the background work, thanks primarily to the use of real-world inspired locations, the added bonus of which is that some of these existing places are, in fact, designed by Henry in London's Kings Cross with all the elements of the city being truly grounded. There are a few pages at the back of the book to show these comparisons side by side, which makes for interesting viewing. Stephens colours also shine with incredible ability, with the "special effects" standing out for showcasing great talent and skill.
This also is apparent in the lettering with the most impressive approach to sound effects. Some of my favourite moments in this art are expressed in these elements. One particular panel towards the end, showing an accidental interaction with a machine resulting in an explosion of an individual with an x-ray effect, really stood out. In fact, any panels with horror elements I found particularly captivating.
To go back to those colours, it's these surrealist moments and the art underneath that highlights Stephens's abilities. This is technically, expertly crafted, extremely enjoyable art.
The story for The Panharmonion Chronicles is quite the behemoth. It's a mystery thriller centred around Alex Campbell, a Canadian musician struggling with a conflicted identity and a traumatic past.
The explosive start to this comic introduces Alex's innate abilities and offers the first glimpse into the mind-bending, reality-questioning elements on offer. What proceeds then, after a short lull for world-building, is an interestingly growing story of fantastical machines being exploited by a shadowy ancient religious group that's intertwined with a corporate institute that has evil-minded intentions that reach into the past. There are nefarious goings on, on both sides of the pond and across centuries with a search for possession of Nordic artefacts, which, thanks to deep family ties to Alex, will set into motion a cataclysmic convergence for Alex and the nefarious group.
The bigger themes of identity and the fascinating scientific ideas are presented beautifully and clearly, and the concept on offer is alluring. If any fault can be found, it's that maybe after such a gripping start, things get a little bit clunky with Alex's move back to London and inheritance, at least to begin with. Yet the reward for perseverance far outweighs this moment. By the end, the science-fiction on offer, with splatterings of horror, high action and alternate history, make an enthralling experience.
To round the story out and, in fact, further elevate it, there are a few ornaments. There are musical easter eggs in lyrics, and I believe I noticed some ACDC, Pink Floyd, Depeche Mode and The Police, to name a few. Maybe even The Alan Parsons Project perhaps. There are cleverly chosen references to often under-celebrated great scientists in Mary Somerville and Ada Lovelace, as well as perhaps a reference to the Idle No More protest movement. Even a few Alice In Wonderland references, which I think is barely scratching the surface.
The cherry on the top, so to speak, would be the multicultural references on offer to complete a deeply thought-out presentation of powerful, passionate storytelling. By the end, you're tantalised by the thought-provoking concepts and ready for more.
For fans of gritty mystery thrillers, sci-fi, steampunk, Labrador-based archaeology, music references, knife-combs, Canadian and London history,, Humphry Repton popularised paint, Laksa, Pencak Silat, owls, the role of sound and resonance in the quantum entanglement of time space and the fabric of reality, punk science and exploding patient accidents in succulent, skilled art. Search for The Panharmonion Chronicles.
To get your copy, head to https://www.panharmonion.com/ to discover which independent comic shop is stocking copies. You'll also find multimedia to enhance the reading experience and a place and opportunity to purchase exciting future merch. I'd recommend signing up to the newsletter. That was my first stop. You can also keep up with the latest developments through Twitter (we have a strong aversion to the other name) @SupanovaMedia or Instagram @the_panharmonion and @supanova.media. For more of the talented Stephen Baskerville, you should check out his Facebook page, as I find this the most up-to-date.
Rating: A decent 5/5
