Based on a novel by James Patterson, this comic narrates the tales of ancient Greek civilization. The story primarily revolves around Akhenaten and his struggle for the throne and the challenges. Although this book is based on the novel by Patterson, there is hardly any weightage given to the central character of the novel. Also, this isn’t an absolutely copy of the novel as it omits a lot of sequences from the novel.
The release of the film “X-Men” by Marvel a decade ago has created a huge demand for its comics among the moviegoers. The publishers though could not keep up with the demands of its fans at that time. Marvel has found the way to market its characters in the most efficient way which can be evident from the release of the first issue of the series “Black Widow”.
This issue of the Amazing Spider Man has been wonderfully written by Dan Slott, but feels more like a filler issue than anything. The issue sees Spider Man and Black Cat teaming up with the latter making a comeback after almost 14 issues. They gear up together to teach Mr. Negative a lesson.
The Amazing Spider Man has had an interesting and very artistic line up when you talk about the last two months. The succeeding act of “The Gauntlet” uber plot has Spider Man facing the Sandman after he dispatched Electro in the previous issue. Fred Van Lente has used the character of Sandman in a very different way than the character of Electro used by Mark Waid. He has combined different aspects to the story and given it a beautiful turn which seems just about perfect.
Deadpool Team-up Volume 899, published by Marvel comics has Deadpool and Hercules teaming up against Arcade and an unknown villain. Fred Van Lente’s story though feels a little out of sorts. Unlike his work like “Incredible Hercules”, this issue is a bit of a dampener when it comes to humor. Hercules also seems to fit best with characters like Amadeus Cho who are straight and allow him to be the crazy one around. His chemistry with Deadpool in no way matches the magic that he creates with Amadeus Cho in “Incredible Hercules”.
The story of this new book called the Assault on New Olympus has been picked right up from the latest issue of the Incredible Hercules. Pak and Van Lente have again shown why they are considered as the masters of the recap page. The cover image which has Spider-Man and Hercules is almost certain to arouse the curiosity in most readers who would definitely find the issue a smooth ride. Rodney Buchemi has managed to get the same magic touch in his artwork which he made his forte in the regular Hercules series.
Marvel comics has come up with a unique way of enlightening you with Shang Chi, the Mater of Kung Fu. The first issue of the book reminds you of the popular Marvel characters of the 70s and has a black and white print which is quite rare these days. Jonathan Hickman has done an admirable job with the story which is incredible fun in spite of the unusual match up between Shang Chi and Deadpool.
This issue of the Invincible Iron Man gives the readers a real sense of urgency although it moves with a leisurely pace. Overall, the issue deals with the gradual mental and intellectual disintegration of Tony Stark. It also gives an account of the efforts of Black Widow and Maria Hill to contact Captain America and enlightens the reader with Pepper Potts’s emerging career as a superhero.
The Dark X-Men: The Beginning, in its three series will let you know how each and every member in Norman Osborn’s X-Men team became members of his group. You know before hand that the characters or members are by any hook or crook going to join the group which kills the excitement or suspense of the story. By now most of you must have already gone through two issues and six stories. But as the issues are increasing, it is getting boring and boring. Every time you see the same discussions and approaches of Osborn.
Roy Thomas, the renowned comic book writer has adapted many great pieces of literature for Marvel into graphic novel. He contradicts the popular notion that Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are the proper epics which contain all the knowledge about the great Trojan War and its story of destruction. He has taken into account several other sources to combine them into one storyline.
Unlike the motion picture Troy (2004), Roy Thomas’s adaptation is much closer to the original epics in the sense that he does not leave out the portrayal and the activities of the mythological Greek gods. He does not fail to mention the jealousies and squabbles of Greek gods and goddesses who had a great influence on the war.
Thomas’s epic tells the tale of the dispute between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. The dispute is over the fact as to who is the most justifiable choice for the Golden Apple. It then continues with the story of Paris who runs away with Helen which results in the Trojan War.
Roy Thomas has used the Epic Cycle as his guide when narrating the story; however, it lacks an artistic interpretation and is very straightforward. The first issue of the mini series is otherwise excellent. The plot is brilliantly detailed and all the characters are correctly named. The issues 2 to 5 can also be summed up as idealized just like the first issue. The issue covers the events that preceded and succeeded and also the events during the war. This work by Roy Thomas is definitely going to stand its own test of time.
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