Filed under: Exquisite Reviews | Tags: Breaker's Yard, Bridgid, Declan Shalvey, Image, Injection, Maria Kilbride, Robin, Sim, Viv, Warren Ellis
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Declan Shalvey
Colours by Jordie Bellaire
Lettering & Design by Fonografiks
£2.20
The members of 3C continue to struggle with the consequences of what they found, and what they did. Brigid finds herselve getting an unwelcome visit, Robin and Maria discuss the differences between science and magic and we get our first good luck at what the Injection’s done. Even as it gets a good look at Robin…
Well on the way to being my Book of the Year, Injection hits its third issue and things begin to unfold. We get a brief look at 3C’s past, get a really good idea of what the Breaker’s Yard isand a sense of how the team are dealing with what they’ve done. Better still, we get a solid look at what they’ve done in a sequence that’s truly chilling. On the phone with Maria, Robin’s reality begins to break down and become something…else. A wild hunt, feral life growing through his hotel room and embodying itself. He confronts, and dismisses it, in a double page splash that’s one of the most precise and powerful pieces of comics you’ll see this year. It’s the literal battle line between fantasy and reality being drawn and Shalvey, and Bellaire’s bleak colours, show you just how permeable that line is.
And that line is what defines the series. The best moment here, again absolutely embodied by Shalvey’s art and the clinical colour scheme Bellaire uses, sees Maria’s internal monologue become external. In a panel we get a clear view of the tension between her and Robin, the two schools of thought they embody, the professional jealousy she feels and just how much stress she’s under. It’s a stunning moment precisely because it’s so simple and marks this issue out as a major gear change for the series. Up to now it’s been great but, with the plot beginning to unfold and the characters under ever increasing pressure, it’s becoming unmissable. Pick this, and the first two issues, up now.
Filed under: Exquisite Reviews | Tags: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Alasdair Stuart, Corey Brotherson, Doodle Doodle, Eve, Greenie, Magic of Myth, Oberon, Robin, Sergio Calvet, Titania
Written by Corey Brotherson
Art by Sergio Calvet
Published by Doodle Doodle
£5 pre-order before the end of 18 April (launch day) with a free digital copy, £6 regular price
Robin has a problem; William Shakespeare. A Midsummer’s Night has just been published and is sweeping England. It’s a brilliant play, a bang on satire of Fae politics and one of Shakespeare’s all time greats.
But Robin is a girl.
And Puck, her character in the play…is…not.
As she sets off to make this right, Corey uses the young Fae to shine a light on the elements of his Magic of Myth universe. This is one of the most realistic and vibrant takes on the Fae you’ll read, and Corey walks us through their society with remarkable grace and a stunningly good eye for character. Oberon is a great example of this; a character who’s outlook and demeanour is established entirely through how he speaks. Oberon has, maybe, 15 words in the entire issue but he’s so grounded, so authoritative that you can’t help but remember them. Titania is just as memorable, far more articulate and far crueller. There are no wasted words with her and no words without a sharp edge to them. Likewise, Robin’s friends, especially the Green Man, feel like people we’ve known for years. Part of the reason for that is the archetypes Corey’s drawing from, the rest is that he’s a remarkably good writer.
But it’s Robin who you remember. Brilliant, brave, crushed and determined she’s caught between two warring parties who don’t want her and makes an impossible choice as a result. She carries the emotional weight of the story and never once buckles beneath it.
The second story here is a total gear shift and is actually the opening chapter of the series Fae ties into. Magic of Myth is excellent and focuses on Eve, an English teacher as well as a warrior. On the bad days, she’s honestly not sure which is scarier. Eve is the polar opposite of Robin; older, wiser, fewer damns to give and seeing her snark her way through the first in a series of tests is huge fun. It’s also where Calvet’s art really comes into its own. His style is rounded and expressive and fun everywhere but this story is where he really gets to show off. Corey’s script is light on its feet but has real weight to it and that’s cleverly communicated through Calvet’s deceptively light artwork. The end result is a beautiful book, one that honours its subject matter and provides a perfect on ramp to the larger story being told. Corey and Sergio are two of the best creators in the industry and this is some of their best work. Pick it up, and the rest of Magic of Myth, and find out just how good they are.
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