The end of Keatinge and Campbell’s first arc is here, and a book I had written off as a Wonder Woman knock off when I was 10 is fast becoming one of my favorites.
Written by Joe Keatinge
Illustrated by Ross Campbell
“ONCE AND FUTURE,” Part Three
500 Years Later. Mars.
As a young lad of 10 years in 1992, I loved Image Comics. I’d say from 92-94, I probably bought more Image Comics than I did Marvel or DC (with the odd Valiant book thrown in). Specifically, I really dug Rob Liefeld’s Extreme Studios books – somewhere in my parents basement, I have a “Bloodstrike” #1 signed by Dan Fraga. But as I grew older, books like “Supreme” and “Youngblood” gave way to books without so many insanely large muscles and guns. So, when at NYCC ‘11. when the Extreme Studios relaunch was announced, I was a little confused. Not only did this seem like an odd batch of properties to reinvigorate, but it seemed to go against all of what Image has been standing for – new ideas.
But little by little, small pieces of information were beginning to make this a more appealing proposition – mainly, the announcement of the various creators involved. But still, I wasn’t sold on the idea of adding any of these to my pull; that is, until I read “Glory” #23. Writer Joe Keatinge was able to take what was great about the character and infuse it with his own ideas, moving the character into a new direction.
But all of the great work in #23 and #24 was prelude to this. As Keatinge said when he sat in with “The Hour Cosmic,” his first issue was all about Glory’s past, the second all about Glory’s present, and this issue all about her future. And the future doesn’t look very bright.
I don’t want to say too much about this issue, because my description of the events will not do justice to the various reveals and twists the story takes. But what I can do is give you a little tease as to what sort of stuff you can expect when (not if) you check this book out:
1) You will get a Supreme cameo
Having just eaten a Burrito Supreme from Taco Bell, I don’t mean that I spilled some sour cream on my copy. What I mean is that Supreme, the Superman analogue last written by Alan Moore, makes an appearance here, and is used perfectly. His presence is both ominous and comforting, and both he and Glory are given an extreme (no pun intended) show of power. I hope that these characters continue to cross over (Keatinge hinted that might be a possibility).
2) Art that is both reverent and unconventional
Ross Campbell does such a remarkable job illustrating this book. His work somewhat hints at the glory (again, no pun intended) days of the Extreme Studios, yet he brings an almost Frank Quietly-esque attention to detail. The result is a book that carves out its own visual tone that dovetails perfectly with Keatinge’s prose. The creative team is incredibly in sync, and clearly has a plan in place.
3) The Future?
I mentioned before that this is a story set in the future – 500 years, to be exact. We are left wondering if the future that we see is one that might happen, or one that will happen. It sets the scope of this book far larger than previously thought, and opens a lot of doors for future stories.
All said, this arc has done everything you would hope a new creative team would bring to a book. This issue, in particular, has me sold on “Glory” for the long haul. I’ve mentioned time and time again how tired I am of the anti-hero being the preeminent model of characters in 21st century comics, and Glory is presented as somewhat of an anti-hero here. But it works because of the work that Keatinge has done making the character one that is complex, yet easy to understand.
For a book I didn’t care about, by a creative team I knew little of, for a publisher I had such high expectations for, “Glory” #25 has exceeded any expectations I had.
Final Verdict – 9.0 – Buy
