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What has always separated DC Comics from many of the comics shared worlds that came after it was its depth of field. There are stories of super heroes, cowboys, gladiators, vikings, space bounty hunters, pirates, magic and horror -as well as one or two other genres not included in this book- all under one umbrella. It's rare DC has attempted to weave of all these genres and characters into one coherent story. Such a story would have the potential to be a road map of the DC Universe. Could one story really contain elements of a biblical epic, a roman gladiator spectacle, a vikings war, a western, modern super heroics and a 1960-esqe space opera There could be no better tour guide for such an endeavor than Walter (Manhunter) Simonson.
Personally, I've been a fan of Mr. Simonson as both a writer and an artist for years, particularly his runs on Thor, Orion and X-Factor. I went into this book with some pretty high hopes.
The prologue is a basic telling of the betrayal of Jesus. Whereas many other writers would be tempted to overplay the symbolism- Mr. Simonson gets it just right. In fact there is just a bit of sympathy for Judas which is fairly uncommon especially since this isn't his story. This is a story about one of his 30 silver coins.
Chapter One: Golden Gladiator isn't a character I was familiar with- however the story did a good job of filling the reader in on what they need to know. Not only that bits of real history are used as well as DC's fictionalized Roman empire. In it is a nice homage to a lot of the historical romances that DC produced in the 1950s without seeming too much like a rehash. The art is absolutely picture perfect.
Chapter Two: Viking Prince. Here the tale of the coin takes a turn toward the supernatural. Vikings arrive in Ancient Germany. They find a tribe involved in occult rituals. Viking Price gets captured and is about to be served up to some forgotten god of the Black Forrest. Fairly typical sword and sorcery material. Visually- Simonson is in his element. The man was born to draw vikings and giant monsters. They are practically a signature. I would have felt disappointed if there weren't vikings or dinosaurs in a book by Walter Simonson.
Chapter Three: Captain Fear is probably the weakest story in the book. The story was a little confusing until I got to the midway point- when they finally explain why the hero was wearing the villain's coat. The flashbacks could have been a little better labeled. It left me lost for quite some time. However once I figured out what was going on, the story picked up and I really started to enjoy it. I can't complement the art enough. That is simply amazing.
Chapter Four: Batlash. Westerns are not everyone's cup of tea. The nature of the Batlash character makes him hard not to like. The dashing con man with a heart of gold combined with a distaste for violence makes an interesting mix for an old western hero. A lot of artists have tried to capture the look and feel of Nick Cardy's original run. None of them have quite succeeded until now. There is also a quick nod to Batlash's true creator- Sergio Aragones. Which is appropriate because the story captures the spirit of the Aragones/O'Neil Batlash stories. This chapter is probably my favorite of the whole bunch. The mixing of the supernatural and Batlash works perfectly while in a lot of ways it shouldn't. Batlash is generally grounded in the Old West, albeit a comical one.
Chapter Five: The Two-Face story is dazzling. Save for a few spots of blood- the story is black and white. It gives the story a very dark, almost film noir feel. While the story does feature Bruce Wayne and Batman- the real thrust of the story is Harvey Dent. Every choice that leads to the resolution of the story is entirely in Two Face's hands. Batman is almost completely sidelined. The layout is a very interesting choice. It has a closer resemblance to the Batman newspaper strip than it does to comics. The use of newspaper strips is quite effective. Where other artists have used it for dramatic effect, a few of the clippings and text are quite funny.
Chapter Six: The one thing you can say about Walter Simonson is that he does like to experiment. Here we discover his lost career as a manga artist. It's a quirky and almost campy space opera to wrap up the epic tale. If you like early Heinlein, Star Wars episodes 4-6 or the original Star Trek this will be right up your alley. It's a very serious story that somehow still maintains a sense of whimsy.
The book overall is mindblowing. It's amazing how well it works. The story does exactly what it was clearly supposed to do- show just how large and wonderfully weird the DC Universe can be. Each story was unique and different its method, its visual and was the perfect showcase for one of the industry's top talents.
Now, editorial is getting on me to make some snarky comments because that is what my readers tend to respond to. I don't really have much to work with but I do have two very minor complaints:
1) Viking Price should have fought a dragon or a dinosaur instead of a giant tree man. I know... I know-- that would almost be a self-parody of a Walter Simonson comic but I would still pay to read it.
2) What? No Balloon Buster, Enemy Ace or Sugar and Spike? For shame, Mr. Simonson, for shame.
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