Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: The Art of Love
Written by: Dylan Horrocks
Penciled by: Richard Case
Inked by: Steve Bird
Colored by: Sherilyn Van Valkenburgh
Lettered by: John Costanza
Editor: Steve Bunche
Publisher: DC/Vertigo Comics
It’s always difficult to watch a series you’ve enjoyed get closer and closer to cancellation. Counting the current issue only three remain in the HUNTER: THE AGE OF MAGIC series. While it has never been one of my favorite books, I could always count on the team of Horrocks and Case to give me my moneys worth with the adventures of Tim Hunter.
Tim is the most powerful wizard alive, he’s known in the world of magic as the Merlin, he’s in fact the spiritual son of the original Merlin. While his previous series (Books of Magic) centered on his education, H:TAOM has followed his early forays on his own. Tim’s development in the series has been like watching early Steve McQueen films. While he’s a bit awkward at times, you can see that the “magic†is there.
Several major plotlines hang in the balance; my only hope is that Dylan Horrocks was given enough notice of the cancellation to complete them. Last issue Tim learned that Jean-Luc, the fiancé of his former lover Molly, was involved in a very powerful spell that made the world within paintings available for exploration. This was something I pondered many times as a kid (although my thoughts were on photographs), and creates the potential for some fantastic stories.
The plotline comes to a head as people unwittingly enter the paintings, as well as those from the paintings coming to our world. London will never be the same again, as near naked maidens roam the streets, a Knight battles a dragon, and a castle hovers about. Tim crosses into the painted world and passes Jesus on a cross, is bombarded by pixies, and consults an oracle. He learns that Merlin’s old “friend†Morgan le Fay helped Jean-Luc with the spell.
The art is simply magnificent this issue. Richard Case and Steve Bird are given a chance to go wild with varying styles this issue. The art conveys perfectly the different tone and of each locale, leaving the reader slightly disoriented from page to page. The more I see of Case’s pencils the more I like them. I’m excited to see what his next project will be!
As a final note, if you haven’t read anything by Dylan Horrocks, and Tim’s final adventures don’t seem like your cup of tea, I highly recommend trying out his newest writing assignment on BATGIRL. The first issue of Dylan’s run came out last month; he’s a first-rate storyteller, with a tremendous gift for dialogue.
