Romancing The Stone: She Get You Screamin' On A Lightnin' Machine

The Sword # 8-12
By The Luna Brothers
Published by Image Comics

I realize that I'm having a privileged experience here. I've been reading these volumes of The Sword like a book. I don't have to go through an issue to issue read, having to wait a month for the next chapter, baited from cliffhanger to cliffhanger. It's the experience that I've had (and written about) when reading books like Pete Hamil's "Forever" or Mark Helprin's "Winter's Tale", or the Harry Potter books, and very often other comic books.  

It's a point where the reader has officially bought into the writer's world, the writer's reality and has given their trust over. And you know what? It does parallel the whole "relationship" angle. We've dated for a number of consecutive chapters. I've enjoyed how those chapters have gone so far, especially in The Sword. I've been surprised, delighted, shocked, intrigued....and within all of that, it's all worked together well, for me. It's made sense. Even if it's magical, a fantasy that isn't real, it continues to make sense within the parameters the writers have set. I've got some faith in this one. I'm ready to commit, one more time.

What has happened in the past? With those "other" books? Well, my expectations became high. The author proved themselves to have the ability to come up with scenarios and conflicts beyond my imagination -- which I loved! The test became a question of whether they can continue to come up with plausible, satisfying resolutions within their constructed parameters? Can my dream date continue to be dreamy?

So, here we are, with Dara finally fighting Zakros. It's all the power of the sword versus all the power of the God of Water. And here's the thing - I don't really know what the full power of either is because...well, because I've never really sat down to think, "if a person had power over all aspects of water, how could that person use water as a weapon?" Nor have I thought how a person possessing an instrument such as the sword would do in a fight. Until now, Dara's swung the sword, she's leaped away, it's all been very quick. Which means every single battle between these two has me going "huh, what's he gonna do?  Oh, that. Wow, i wouldn't have ever thought of that. Now, what's she gonna do? Oh, that's interesting."

I think the Luna Brothers do well with this. I'm impressed how at first the sword completely diminishes Zakros' power over Dara. And of course, I love that it heals her.They take a fact, the fact that the human body is 90% water (or something like that) and they just run with that, as far as they can. He's able to just fling bodies around and use them as weapons. Which, of course, has me even more disgusted with him, and that's great! It makes me root for Dara even more.

Yes, I think it's clever that he had her chase him to the beach so he could have the entire ocean at his disposal. And it does seem like the odds are overwhelmingly in his favor. But I have to admit that this point of the story began to remind me, just a bit, of the ol' "Wonder Twin Powers! Shape of an igloo! Form of..two ice hands crushing her legs!" I mean, just a little. Because, you know, he DID that.

So--when he's got her in that giant ice ball and starts drawing him to her? That was one of those moments that I was feeling that, yeah, this is clever and imaginative and I love that the brothers Luna are stepping up to the plate, they're going for the "wow". 

At the same time...anything can happen because, well, they make the rules.And the rules seem to be that there are no rules. Which is fine, sure. But isn't it more fun to read a story, read about a fight or a conflict where you (meaning me, the reader) knows that there are both strengths and weaknesses to these powerful people? Take vampires, for instance. We know that they are the undead, can "glamour" people, are fast moving, seductive and suck blood. Whether you are rooting for them to win or get their ass kicked you know what they can do to fight, and you also know that they they can be destroyed by daylight and a stake through the heart. This gives the audience a little more to cling to. There's a mythology, a specific logic that's always present, even in the fighting.  

And there's no weakness in either Zakros or in the Sword. Zakros is slightly weakened in the presence of The Sword, but that's about it. So in this volume, in this fight, someone wins because, well, someone has to win. When Dara goes to stab Zakros through the heart, she's successful. It's still plausible that he could have messed with her and/or the Sword in that very last moment, but he didn't, so the fight is over. There's victory, but it isn't one that I feel really a part of. I wish I had a better way to say what I mean. I hope I"m making sense.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I want you to know that I did like it. I liked it a lot. I liked how the fight was interspersed with flashbacks about Dara and her sister. The flashbacks weren't just cheesy memories put there to extend the story. They were there as a means to inform us on how her sister helped her be the person she now is, this person who is able to have the fortitude and passion to fight for what and who she loves. And that's why Dara is able to continue to go after Zakros until he is dead.  Hell, I would have given up after the giant claw thing chopped off my legs and then they healed back together again. I would have simply counted my blessings and run away. (Or crawled. I would have found a way to flee.) 

Someone recently commented that they found the art a little flat. I didn't see that at first, but I do see it now. But all in all, the scale is always right on. I never find myself confused by the art wondering what a body is supposed to be doing or where we are in time. There are aspects of the human form that aren't perfect...but I prefer this style to crazy, huge super hero types with impossible bodies.  What I love most about the art is what they do on the last page of every issue, and then the page that starts the next one in the volume (probably the cover art). Talk about a picture saying a thousand words. I love those pages.  I could take them out and frame them, I love them so much.

And the last page of the volume was priceless. Well done. Bravo.

Here's the thing. I peeled through this volume almost as quickly as the first. I loved every minute of it. But, honestly, the first volume still has my heart. It was so shocking. So entertaining and engaging. This volume is as well.....but just a little less. Looking forward to see what Volume 3 is like!

-Nina Stone, 2010

Comments

[kilmoonie]

It gets a lot worse.

But that's how I felt about the Luna Brothers GIRLS comic as well. The cool set-up with the hyper violence starts out nice, then it fizzles as it goes along so that the over wordy style stands out more as the on-the-nose dialogue that it is.

I really liked the first 6-issues too. And now with three issues to go I just kind of want it to hurry up and end. At least the last battle should be cool (and gory) because that's what these brothers really do well.

[John Pontoon]

I say that volume 3 is BETTER than volumes one and two. The final image in just about every issue is mind-blowing and amazing. The fight... the fight is a mutha. Spongeworthy.