A young monk claims he wishes to follow the word of God – but he just might think himself as more a leader than a follower. Brandon Dayton’s print debut is a lovely-looking folk tale about faith and pride, set in a Russia that is part dream and part history; one of the strongest graphic novels of 2018.
Written, illustrated and lettered by Brandon Dayton”Cover
The thrilling continuation of the YALSA award-winning comic by BRANDON DAYTON. In a mythical Russia, a mysterious young boy is raised by an order of monks. As he grows to manhood, bizarre dreams and the call of destiny disturb the ideals of brotherhood and peace that define his idyllic home.
“There is no element in the life of the of the monk which may escape from this fundamental and permanent relation of total obedience to the master. John Cassian repeats an old principle from the oriental tradition: “Everything the monk does without permission of his master constitutes a theft.””
– Michel Foucault, “Technologies of the self”
I am not a believer myself. Growing up in a society, a Kibbutz, built on a rejection of old world theologies is does not encourage one to think of higher beings, even in a country as religious as Israel. Yet I find myself fascinated by this new graphic novel (which, despite what the solicitations claim, is not a continuation but rather a re-working of the original “Green Monk” webcomics) from newcomer Brandon Dayton which uses that old chestnut, the ‘chosen one’ story, to examine the role of faith in our relations with both our society and our world.
Alexey, the protagonist, has exactly the beginning one would expect in such stories – found on the steps of an old covenant, his salvation (physical and spiritual) literally the last act of a dying mother (shades of Disney). As the boy grows he begins to test the limits of the monastery and of the Abbot – he believes in the larger ideals of religion, but the actual human imposed rules he sees as limiting; at a certain point he lets a tortured prisoner drink, driving the wrath of the local garrison. When asked about going against the explicit order of the abbot not interfere in civilian affairs, Alexey replies “he was thirsty and I gave him water.”
But is Alexey simply emulating Chris or does he think himself a successor? Guided by prophetic dreams that seem to guide him towards something greater he might truly follow the word of god; or maybe something else. The are no obvious answers in this story, no answers at all really, which is probably fitting for a tale about an attempt to understand the divine. Alexey is truly apart from the other monks, but what sets him apart just might be his pride: “you are part of a brotherhood. Your life and your duty belong to God. We serve God, but we serve him together.”
The physical climax story, the exciting action part (which allows Brandon Dayton to show he is as good at drawing bloodshed as he is at drawing, well…. Everything else), is followed by a more contemplative, spiritual, finale; a man walks out into the world – what will a see there? Will he return? Will he change farther? The text leaves us with a single black page – we will decide.
Since I’ve mentioned Dayton’s art already let us speak of it a bit more: there are recommendations on the back from some of the top artists of current American mainstream, David Peterson, Chris Samnee, and their love for it tells you what to expect: bold figures that allow the humanity of the character to shine through while pushing a certain cartoonish sense the makes them rather transcendent (I also see a hint of Michael Avon Oeming in the character design), strong and clean movements, a willingness to let the nature play around the human figures. It appears simple, but it’s the sort of simple that hardest to do – to did in a few lines the essence of a character and the world you wish to describe.
It’s hard to pick the ‘best scenes’ in the book because they are all good, from the flowing nature of the dream scenes to montage of Alexey growing up to the scenes of simple physical labor. in each of these moment you can see Dayton expressing something about the characters – even when tilling the soil, a back breaking labor under the hot sun, Alexey’s movement seem not only certain but melodramatic; he makes a statement before God, either as an act of prayer or of pride (or both). There’s beauty in these pages, but it is not merely for the sake of itself; like the characters it also tries to serve something greater.
If I have any complaints is that this story feels too short. We rush through Alexey’s life, we rush through his dreams, we rush through his trials. Maybe when originally published, online, Dayton could more easily control the mood of the piece through chapter breaks – but this version seems to flow quickly, sometimes overtly so. Perhaps certain parts should be expended – especially the last bit which seems to demand a stronger reaction; it’s meant to be a gut punch for the characters but we move through it with little delay.
Still, for its little faults it is truly great graphic novel; heralding the career of what should be a great talent.
