Zeb Aslam
May 3, 2004, 08:26 am
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/crossgen/0204/03AB00FN.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/crossgen/0204/03AB00FNt.jpg"align=left alt="ABADAZAD #3"></a>Reviewer: Zeb Aslam, shrinkingleviathan@hotmail.com
Quick Rating: Excellent
Story Title: Explosions
There will always be peace in Abadazad
Written By: J.M. DeMatteis
Pencilled By: Mike Ploog
Inked By: Mike Ploog
Colors By: Nick Bell
Letters By: Dave Lanphear
Publisher: Crossgen Comics
J.M. DeMatteis is a living legend, as far as I’m concerned anyway. I’ve been a fan of his for almost as long as I can remember. From his excellent Kraven’s Last Hunt in Spider-man, to Moonshadow, and now, Abadazad. Out of all his works, Abadazad is rapidly turning out to be his best work ever.
Abadazad takes place in a world where alongside such greats as The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Lord Of The Rings, there also exists The Tales of Abadazad. The series of books, written by Franklin O. Barrie, and then by his daughter, and now by a myriad of other writers, is incredibly famous. It has cartoons, toys, movies, comics, everything. One of the biggest fans of this series is Matt Jameson. Matt, along with his sister Kate, are the children of divorced parents, and as such have to rely on each other a lot. Kate, being the great big sister she is, takes good care of Matt and tries to fulfill his every wish. The one day, Matt disappears. This leads Kate to become a disgruntled, bitter teen, and finally paves her way to the real land of Abadazad.
Abadazad is quite possibly one of the best fantasy epics I’ve ever read. Yes, that includes other comics and books. DeMatteis has created a world which is not only engaging and a great read, but one that you actually want to visit yourself, much like the Narnia series. This issue, as previously, DeMatteis gives a closer glimpse of some of the characters which reside in Abadazad, and how even though Kate has read all the books, none of them are exactly the same as Mr. O. Barrie led his readers to believe. My favorite part of this comic is the all text pages. I love reading fantasy tales, and those little snippets make me wish that DeMatteis was actually writing this as a book rather than a comic, but then, we wouldn’t have the beautiful illustrations of Mike Ploog to back up DeMatteis’ vision, would we?
I found DeMatteis’ analysis of the writers of World War I very intriguing. Back then, most, if not all, writers were either themselves at war, or had loved ones on the battlefields. The way Barrie projected his feelings onto paper and created a war in Abadazad to air out his feelings was very real, and I felt was handled very well. Queen Ija’s reaction was also very heartfelt as she was saddened that a war in the real world brought about an Abadazad which never existed, and which she hoped never would. Another intriguing aspect DeMatteis has included this issue is that Abadazad seems to be shaped by the power of belief. This leaves the door open for many storylines, and also gives us a very good idea of why, exactly, the Lanky Man has been kidnapping kids from the real world.
The artwork…all I can say is WOW! I’m too young to actually be familiar with Mike Ploog’s artwork, but to see it in this book makes me want to go out and buy every single drawing of his I can find. The art has just the right touch of fantasy with a realism that is absent from most other books today. Ploog and DeMatteis seem to have a solid mind-set behind this book’s look as nothing in the artwork seems to work against the story and vice versa. In fact, if anything, sometimes it seems as if DeMatteis is molding the story to fit around the artwork provided by Ploog, so fantastic is this collaboration. Any mention of the artwork in this book would be incomplete if due credit is not given to Nick Bell. The painted colors by Nick Bell truly make this book unique in today’s marketplace. Bell manages to retain all the charm of Ploog’s pencils and give them an oomph which is usually not very visible when a book is reliant on pastel colors and especially painted artwork.
This book is the answer to fans of fantasy everywhere. It’s funny, has incredibly beautiful artwork, and most importantly, has relatable characters. In just 3 short issues, I have come to regard these characters as friends and can’t wait each month to find out exactly what’s going to happen to them. DeMatteis has taken his best work, multiplied it’s quality by 200% and presented us with a book that not only is a great read, but is something that could truly be an epic. Ploog has also demonstrated what an excellent artist he is, and Bell is the best colorist on the planet, imho. Basically this is one of those rare books which truly is all-ages, and regardless of whether you're 10 or 60, you will love it, so try it...before it goes the way of Captain Marvel.
ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cghalf.jpg
STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cghalf.jpg
ISSUE OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cghalf.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics and save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopexd.asp?id=10140)
Quick Rating: Excellent
Story Title: Explosions
There will always be peace in Abadazad
Written By: J.M. DeMatteis
Pencilled By: Mike Ploog
Inked By: Mike Ploog
Colors By: Nick Bell
Letters By: Dave Lanphear
Publisher: Crossgen Comics
J.M. DeMatteis is a living legend, as far as I’m concerned anyway. I’ve been a fan of his for almost as long as I can remember. From his excellent Kraven’s Last Hunt in Spider-man, to Moonshadow, and now, Abadazad. Out of all his works, Abadazad is rapidly turning out to be his best work ever.
Abadazad takes place in a world where alongside such greats as The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Lord Of The Rings, there also exists The Tales of Abadazad. The series of books, written by Franklin O. Barrie, and then by his daughter, and now by a myriad of other writers, is incredibly famous. It has cartoons, toys, movies, comics, everything. One of the biggest fans of this series is Matt Jameson. Matt, along with his sister Kate, are the children of divorced parents, and as such have to rely on each other a lot. Kate, being the great big sister she is, takes good care of Matt and tries to fulfill his every wish. The one day, Matt disappears. This leads Kate to become a disgruntled, bitter teen, and finally paves her way to the real land of Abadazad.
Abadazad is quite possibly one of the best fantasy epics I’ve ever read. Yes, that includes other comics and books. DeMatteis has created a world which is not only engaging and a great read, but one that you actually want to visit yourself, much like the Narnia series. This issue, as previously, DeMatteis gives a closer glimpse of some of the characters which reside in Abadazad, and how even though Kate has read all the books, none of them are exactly the same as Mr. O. Barrie led his readers to believe. My favorite part of this comic is the all text pages. I love reading fantasy tales, and those little snippets make me wish that DeMatteis was actually writing this as a book rather than a comic, but then, we wouldn’t have the beautiful illustrations of Mike Ploog to back up DeMatteis’ vision, would we?
I found DeMatteis’ analysis of the writers of World War I very intriguing. Back then, most, if not all, writers were either themselves at war, or had loved ones on the battlefields. The way Barrie projected his feelings onto paper and created a war in Abadazad to air out his feelings was very real, and I felt was handled very well. Queen Ija’s reaction was also very heartfelt as she was saddened that a war in the real world brought about an Abadazad which never existed, and which she hoped never would. Another intriguing aspect DeMatteis has included this issue is that Abadazad seems to be shaped by the power of belief. This leaves the door open for many storylines, and also gives us a very good idea of why, exactly, the Lanky Man has been kidnapping kids from the real world.
The artwork…all I can say is WOW! I’m too young to actually be familiar with Mike Ploog’s artwork, but to see it in this book makes me want to go out and buy every single drawing of his I can find. The art has just the right touch of fantasy with a realism that is absent from most other books today. Ploog and DeMatteis seem to have a solid mind-set behind this book’s look as nothing in the artwork seems to work against the story and vice versa. In fact, if anything, sometimes it seems as if DeMatteis is molding the story to fit around the artwork provided by Ploog, so fantastic is this collaboration. Any mention of the artwork in this book would be incomplete if due credit is not given to Nick Bell. The painted colors by Nick Bell truly make this book unique in today’s marketplace. Bell manages to retain all the charm of Ploog’s pencils and give them an oomph which is usually not very visible when a book is reliant on pastel colors and especially painted artwork.
This book is the answer to fans of fantasy everywhere. It’s funny, has incredibly beautiful artwork, and most importantly, has relatable characters. In just 3 short issues, I have come to regard these characters as friends and can’t wait each month to find out exactly what’s going to happen to them. DeMatteis has taken his best work, multiplied it’s quality by 200% and presented us with a book that not only is a great read, but is something that could truly be an epic. Ploog has also demonstrated what an excellent artist he is, and Bell is the best colorist on the planet, imho. Basically this is one of those rare books which truly is all-ages, and regardless of whether you're 10 or 60, you will love it, so try it...before it goes the way of Captain Marvel.
ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cghalf.jpg
STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cghalf.jpg
ISSUE OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cgfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/cghalf.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics and save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopexd.asp?id=10140)