The Maxx fights some Isz on a guy's Leg
Today's comic book of the day is Crogan's Vengeance by Chris Schweizer!
Crogan's Vengeance is to comic books what Pixar is to animated movies - an example of the medium at its best, accessible to people of all ages and able to use familiar, if a little worn, clichés in order to tell a thoroughly engaging and refreshing story. Add to the creative bona fides on display that the Crogan Adventures project is a very ambitious endeavor, and it's apparent that Schweizer is a talent that people should watch.
Schweizer has devised a intricate and unique overarching storyline for his Crogan Adventures books: A father is instructing his children about various moral lessons by telling them tales of their illustrious lineage throughout history. Each book will cover a different "Crogan" from a different time period who undergoes some adventure that exemplifies whatever Father is talking about to his kids. It sounds incredibly simple - but it creates such a large sandbox for Schweizer to play in and create compelling characters and situations, that it sidesteps all of the possibilities for being trite or preachy or base in order to be a thoroughly entertaining and, I never use this word, joyous occasion.
Crogan's Vengeance is the first entry in the series (though I don't believe readers will have to read the books in any sort of sequential order - but I may be wrong) and concerns "Catfoot" Crogan, loose cannon sailor turned fierce, if somewhat reluctant, pirate in 1701. After suffering the abuses of a tyrannical captain, Crogan finds himself and his fellow crewmates forced into the life of piracy on the high seas. Tension mounts between Crogan and his fellow pirates, but it seems like serious peril is kept at bay as long as the fair and reasonable pirate Captain is around. But...what if the Captain suddenly wasn't around? And is it possible to do the right thing - for the wrong reasons? Or can you do something seemingly terrible - for a righteous cause?
While Crogan's Vengeance is, at its heart, a morality tale, it's not so overly simplistic or preachy that it feels like a lecture or some afterschool special blatantly saying what's Good and what's Bad. It tells a fun, adventurous tale with original characters who tend to recognize the absurdity of their dangerous situations and leaves readers of all ages feeling invigorated by this breath of fresh air. Like Pixar movies, it's not a piece that is solely upbeat - it has its own moments of darkness - but it comes off as more entertaining for the dichotomy it presents between the swashbuckling energy and the impending doom that surrounds Crogan. The art is cartoonish and spare at times - but that merely is used to serve the dialogue and characters, putting more focus on the interactions and characterizations that occur on each page. However, every few panels, Schweizer creates a lush and vividly detailed image that stands in stark contrast to the other pages filled with a minimum of brush strokes.
Crogan's Vengeance is a story that is at once familiar and unique, dark and comical, aimed at children but perfect for adults, lightly drawn but graphically dense. Schweizer proves himself fully capable of combining two disparate worlds into a completely engaging and entertaining synthesis. It's not often that you find yourself smiling at entertainment these days - but it's also not that often you find something as fun as Crogan's Vengeance to smile about. Having just finished the second in the 16 part-planned series (Crogan's March), I can't wait for the next installments and encourage everyone to join in the adventure.