Comics: Strike Up the Band
by Dee. 4/26/2019
Hello and greetings to all:This is Dee, back with another exciting foray into comics this month! We have Age of Conan: Belit, and Orphan Age. Also, next week is Free Comic Book Day, so come on down for some free issues; we'll be happy to see you!
Age of Conan: Belit (Marvel Comics): Though this comic came out in March, I felt that this comic deserved a second glance when I heard the premise. I come into this comic knowing very little about Conan lore or canon, and I found the issue to be entertaining and accessible to a new audience. This is a story about a teenage pirate queen and the beginning of her reign on the high seas. She will eventually become one of the most well known of Conan's compatriots (because they wouldn't stand for being called a sidekick). Belit is a handful, headstrong and tempestuous (like any teenager I've ever known), and ready to be a pirate like her father, the Dread Admiral Atrahasis. She's already decided to deliberately search out sea monsters and slay them, though she's told that they are myth at best.
The dialogue flows smoothly, and the pace of the first issue is pretty steady. Nothing feels forced, and the story sucks you in from the first panels.
The art in this book is beautiful, with cloudless blue skies and a rich medieval environment. The shadows and the highlights do not detract from the story, though Belit's hair is definitely long and lustrous.
Orphan Age (After-Shock Comics): This has a very intriguing premise: in one day, all of the adults of the world suddenly drop dead, and the children are left to pick up the pieces. Fast forward to twenty years later, and the children have become adults themselves. As they are still slowly rebuilding the world, luxuries and even the most basic resources like gasoline are no longer available. Towns are few and far between, and horses are the mode of transportation.
The biggest power in the story is the New Church, which views the world-wide event to have been a miracle sent by God. Our heroes are forced to flee the town when the Church comes looking for converts, with serious firepower to back them up.
The art style by Nuno Plati (Alpha: Big Time) is straight-forward, much like the story. The character designs aren't overly complicated, which works in the story's favor. Writer Ted Anderson (Moth & Whisper) has created a compelling dystopia with lots of depth and world-building behind it.
See you at FCBD,
Dee