In “Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules,” our titular hero finds herself up against her own legendary reputation. The action comes fast and the twists come hard, yet, as always, Tony Cliff expertly controls the scenario in his expert cartooning hand. With this third entry in the series, Cliff truly hits a stride in his storytelling, turning in a book that’s constantly exciting, frequently thrilling, always enduring, and often hilarious. After three adventures, it’s easy to think that “Delilah Dirk” might be nothing less than a modern classic.
Cover by Tony Cliff, Danielle Ceccolini, Molly JohnsonWritten and Illustrated by Tony Cliff
Colored by Tony Cliff, Sarah Airress, Jared Greene, Beth Morrell, Amanda Scurti, and BrianHaving survived a close shave in England, where she was falsely accused of spying for the French, Delilah has set out with her companion Selim for more agreeable adventures in central Asia. But when she stumbles on an artifact that may be a clue about the location of the legendary third pillar of Hercules, Delilah and Selim are drawn back to Europe on an Indiana-Jones-style archeological caper that pits her against a ruthless enemy who is murderously intent on preventing Delilah from speaking out against him.
From vast forgotten underground cities to an elaborate and shocking double-cross, Tony Cliff’s Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules brings all the drama and excitement that fans of the series crave.
At nearly 300 pages, there’s clearly a lot Tony Cliff wants to explore with “Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules.” While the plot itself is relatively simple, in the way that all the best adventure plots often are, the mechanics of it are layered, involved, and rewarding. Nominally, the story follows Ms. Dirk, Mr. Selim, and a mysterious Dutch journalist as they search for a fabled lost city. However, the narrative is fueled by the strange encounters, selfish endeavors, and an overall wanderlust that’s a staple of the genre. There’s also an open desire amongst the characters to achieve something incredible, to have their names added to the annals of history.
Altogether, the “Delilah Dirk” series might be the comic equivalent of the Mission: Impossible films or Mad Max: Fury Road. There’s such precision to the action, such an awareness of the page design and the reader’s flow through the page, such a confidence in the craft that it elevates the medium. Everything from the text sequencing to the panel layouts, from the characters’ positions within the frame to the kinetic energy from the spread compositions, serves to bring “Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules” to life. Cliff has found himself in a place where he’s aware of what parts of the narrative the text best serves and where the images can do the heavy lifting.
He also pushes the medium to capture that sensational rush adventures offer. For instance, he introduces a montage technique in “Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules,” this sweeping series of images that flows across the page without any borders. He also builds the story up to massive splash page reveals. He keeps the perspective grounded, never letting us lose our place in the place in the environment or get confused about what’s going on. He uses panel sizes, character profiles, cinematic techniques, and color to build up a rhythm, ensnare us all in the story’s beat.
For all the sword play, for all the gorgeous vistas, flying ships, for all the chases and exquisitely choreographed action set pieces, “Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules” deals mostly with Dirk fighting her own ego. In past entries, her headstrong, impulsive behavior often threw her and Mr. Selim into a whole mess of danger. Fortunately, she’s quick-witted enough to find a way out of the worst situations. Cliff gives Dirk a way to see herself in this book. And Delilah Dirk, too, falls victim to her own legend and charm. She makes choices and pursues puzzle pieces in a way that best serves to bolster her myth. She gets so swept up in all of it, she misses what’s obvious to we the readers and Mr. Selim. It’s an interesting direction to take a swashbuckling character like this. After all, after continually saving the world, uncovering forgotten artifacts, discovering lost cities, et cetera, it makes sense these adventurers would get caught up in their own aura.
Continued belowIt doesn’t feel like the characters had an adventure they could quickly forget about. Their choices and actions carried through with them, constantly lingering.
There are a few places where “Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules” shows its seams. Although the letters and text lead us confidently across the pages, there’s something that feels off about them. It might be because Cliff goes for a handcrafted feel, especially in Mr. Selim’s journal narrations, so it doesn’t ring true with the digital typefaces. Additionally, Cliff struggles to resolve his Turkish plot thread, leading us to think it’s going to turn into something bigger before fizzling out completely in favor of the next puzzle piece.
Even then, these hiccups don’t take anything away from the book. It’s only when everything else is so well crafted and composed that these moments become evident.
“Delilah Dirk and the Pillar of Hercules” is an exciting and well-crafted comic. It’s filled with the best tropes of the genre and offers a clever perspective about the fame of an adventurer. Cliff uses all the tools of the medium to sweep us through this adventure, to absorb us within this world. It’s a showcase of incredible talent and skill while never at the expense of its wonderful entertainment.
