Goddess - a Vertigo comics mini-series

I vaguely remember this series being solicited back in the mid-90s when it was originally published; however, it was not something that fit within my "likes" of comic reading back in the day, so I passed on it.  A few weeks back, a local comic store was having a huge sale on back issues, $1.00 each or 50 for $25.00.  A friend and I went and managed, between the two of us, to find 50 comics that would cost us only $0.50 an issue!  Included in those 50 comics was the full eight-issue run of this series - I figured since they had the entire run, and at only $0.50 per issue, I might as well pick them up.  After all, my taste in comics have moved far beyond just superheroes these days, and if it turned out I didn't like it, then I could always just trade them in somewhere later on.  Well, the comics are staying in my collection, so that should tell you what I thought of them!

 

Goddess was the creation of writer Garth Ennis and artist Phil Winslade. I was familiar with Ennis, having read some of his work on The Boys, Hellblazer, Crossed, and others; but I had never heard of Phil Winslade.  Or so I thought.  It turns out Winslade provided the art for DC's Wonder Woman: Amazonia graphic novel from back in the day (which I have), but I suppose I never paid attention to the artist's name when I read that book (either that, or it's simply been so long that I had forgotten it).  In any even, both of these creators have some magnificent work out there, so just imagine combining the two for an eight-issue mini-series!  And Ennis being who he is, you know the book is going to have a certain level of violence - which it does!

 

While Goddess is definitely the story of Rosie, a beautiful, young Scottish redhead who has unbelievable powers that she cannot seem to control - such as literally ripping her own country in half or blowing the heads off of government agents or even calming a ferocious tiger to save a young boy's life.  However, it is also the story of Mudhawk, Samantha Flint, and Jeff - a tough guy, and even tougher girl, and a weak-kneed man who may just be in love with Rosie.  Sure, they may only be the supporting cast in the story, but without them, Rosie would never get where she needs to go - she would never figure out who she really is - and she would never be able to make the decisions she does to put things right in the world again!  Oh, and we certainly can't forget the government agent who will stop at nothing get his hands on Rosie and her powers, even if that means killing anyone and everyone who gets in his way.  

Jeff in the narrator of this tale, so it might be a little slanted from his google-eyed point of view.  But through his eyes, the reader is able to see all of the characters for who they really are.  None of them are perfect by any means, but each of them has heart in their own ways - even Mudhawk (whose real name turns out to be "Walter Gaylord"), who manages to save this motley crew on more than one occasion.  And while Jeff points out the flaws of everyone, he also manages to give readers a clear delineation of who the good guys are, who the bad guys are, and, well, there quite literally is no in-between.  And as the story progresses, we get to see Rosie become stronger and more confident, gaining more control of her powers, and ultimately making her way to the top of the world where she discovers the truth about her identity, her powers, and her destiny.  The question is - will she fulfill the destiny established for her, or will she create her own path?  (Let's just say, I love the answer to that question!  And if you are really wondering who she is, well, quite honestly, the answer is right on the cover of each issue, staring you in the face!)

 

The art is absolutely stunning.  Winslade paints some beautiful long-rage shots of the planet earth, while also some superb close-ups, with character expressions that provide clear insight into the characters and their motivations without the need for any dialogue whatsoever (although, Ennis certainly provides plenty of that).  From the bloody shark attack in the first issue, to the full-page window-breaking scene near the end of that same issue, to the gorgeous panels of Rosie's first meeting with the spectral "Jenny," to the otherworldly scenes in the final issue - Winslade proves that he can give readers a visual experience they will never forget.  I think he was the perfect fit for Ennis' story here, since it goes from peaceful beauty to bloody violence in just a matter of panels or pages, and then slides into normal, everyday life scenes before once again turning right back to some graphic violence.  Winslade does it with apparent ease, keeping the story moving without any jarring breaks at all.  That's not an easy feat for any artist, but Winslade succeeds, and then some!

I was not sure what to expect with this series, but I went into it with an open mind and came out of it with the satisfaction of knowing I had just read something well worth the read.  

RATING:  10 giant water horses out of 10 for a different kind of story with a different kind of heroine for a different kind of comic reader!

 

Agatha, Girl of Mystery #2 - The Pearl of Bengal

I am so glad I picked up this series.  I wasn't certain what I would think of it (even though I bought all 10 books in the series before I ever read the first one), but I did rather enjoy that first one.  It was a quick, easy read, yet it had a great little mystery to it.  And sometimes, let's face it - you want to read something that is light and can be finished in an hour or less.  And the Agatha, Girl of Mystery series definitely fits that category.  Plus, it has such fun characters, all of whom bear a literary name - Agatha (after Ms. Christie, obviously); her cousin Dash (after the author, Mr. Hammett); her butler Chandler (after the novelist, Raymond); her Siberian cat Watson (I don't think I need to tell you this one); and her uncle Rudyard (after the English writer, Kipling).  Thus, anyone who enjoys mystery is sure to get a kick out o these adventures!

The Pearl of Bengal takes Agatha, Dash, and Chandler (along with Watson, of course) to India, to not only find a missing man, but also an invaluable missing pearl!  After their first adventure an Egypt, our young detectives-in-training are called upon by one of Dash's professors to locate the famed Pearl of Bengal that has been stolen!  The only thing they have to go on is (a) a recorded phone call filled with static; (b) a few photos; and (c) a missing man.  Dash has five days to find the missing man, recover the pearl and solve th mystery - or he will be expelled!  So, what else can he do but turn to his exceptionally intelligent and skilled younger cousin who can solve a mystery, or her last name isn't ... well, Mistery!

The story is written by Sir Steve Stevenson, translated by Siobhan Tracey, and adapted by Maya Gold - so it's really hard to say exactly which of these three deserve the kudos for the writing here.  I'd go with Stevenson, with the idea that Tracey and Gold merely took what Stevenson wrote and translated it from its original Italian format into the English language for our enjoyment. But Tracey and Gold must deserve some credit, for being able to translate it in such a way as to keep Agatha's quirky nature, Dash's inept fear of everything, and Chandler's strength and loyalty.  And the illustrations by Stefano Turconi only add to the fun (because, let's face it - I'm a huge fan of internal illustrations, having grown up with them in the Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, and other children's series I read growing up).

The mystery is pretty straightforward - upon arriving in India, Agatha and her crew are given four potential suspects from Captain Deshpande, the local authority.  The missing man's son, a Spanish couple on vacation, and a local who disagreed with the missing man on how the Temple of Kali should be run are the only ones who seem to have an interest in either the missing man or the pearl.  It's Agatha's job to weed through them and determine which of them had the means, motive, and opportunity to kidnap a man and steal the pearl from the guarded temple!  One by one, she begins to cross the suspects off her list, until she discovers she has no suspects left - which leaves her with the all-important question - with no suspect, how can she solve this case?

Of course, for adult readers, the solution to the mystery is pretty obvious from the get-go, but for the young readers this series is intended for, I can see this giving them cause to ponder.  The only thing I do have to wonder is this: how is Agatha capable to taking her Siberian cat with her everywhere, and how does it not run off?  Don't get me wrong, I do love cats, and there is one particular scene where Watson faces off against a much larger cat (the title to the book might give you a clue as to what kind of cat); but in reality, a cat is not like a dog, and it is very unlikely to stick around when given freedom to run!

For a quick, easy read with an enjoyable story, this is definitely a series I'd recommend!

RATING:  8 way-too-thin bamboo canes out of 10 for giving readers a story with liars, tigers, and thieves - oh, my!