Reviewer: Tim Stevens
Story Title: Act One
Written by: Grant Morrison
Art by: Philip Bond
Colored by: Brian Miller
Lettered by: Todd Klein
Editor: Karen Bergin
Publisher: Vertigo
There are many people that often talk about the “fun” being gone from comics. I’m not, generally, one of them. For me, the fun isn’t necessarily that the issue I’ve read is fun. It’s important to me that it is well written and well drawn, but not necessarily “fun”. No, for me, fun in comic books has more to do with the anticipation of a new issue of my favorite book, the guessing, the glory of getting it and reading it, the quest for hidden treasures in the back issue bins, the discussions with friends of recent (or long past) issues. That being said, if you are one who likes the fun in the comic, not just in the ether around the comic, then this is a book you should be picking it up. The funny thing is, I almost didn’t.
You see, way back when Morrison announced his 3 three issue miniseries I reacted like this: Seaguy, the story of a superhero in a utopian world? Sign me up (heh…oops). WE3, the Incredible Journey with cyborgs? Absolutely! (good call!). Vinanarama, a Bollywood musical in comic form? Eh…I think I’ll do without. Thankfully, due to my post-WE3 Morrison enthusiasm, I took the plunge. And I found that fun comic ideal that I was mentioning above.
Just to mix things up a bit, I’ll start my praise with Philip Bond who draws and inks this book. I’m not very familiar with Bond beyond knowing he worked on The Invisibles with Morrison, one of the few notable Morrison efforts I have yet to get around to reading (the other being The Filth and Flex Mentallo, although that one is nigh impossible to get ahold thanks to lawsuits). So, with know prior knowledge of his work, Bond impressed me. His art is not “blow you away” spectacular or unique (like Quietly, for example) but it is strong. He has a nice eye for detail (and when to use it and not to use it) and the work nicely conveys the humor that Morrison’s script is trying to get across. I really would like to read more Bond drawn books and do hope that I will sometime soon.
The script, as hinted at above, is very light and funny. Despite the fact that the main antagonists of the story threaten the very existence of the planet, this is not a doom, gloom, we all gonna die sort of book. Even as things start to go to Hell, Ali finds himself relieved that his future wife (by arranged marriage) is not unattractive in the least. Ali’s father seems incapable of caring for smaller creatures, claiming that one of the children’s goldfish was “suicidal” and that’s why it died while he was watching it and manages to lose his grandson, who, heretofore, could not walk at all. Sofia, his promised fiancée, is adventurous and may have discovered the love of her life (and no, it’s not Ali…or is it?). Ali’s brother seems far too dedicated to the family business. All are great characters, really enjoyable to read about.
I also have to give props to Morrison for his handling of the arranged marriage issue. My friend Mayank (formerly my across the street neighbor) is Indian and like his three sisters before him, his marriage will be arranged. For the longest time, I couldn’t imagine just accepting that. In a lot of ways, I still can’t. However, Morrison scripts Ali the exact same way Mayank talks about it. For him, it simply is. It is a matter of family, tradition, religion, and faith all rolled into one. In a lot of ways, the marriage is not so much arranged by his parents, but by the machinations of fate and the gods. With that viewpoint, it is easier to understand being “okay” with the idea of being assigned a spouse. I’m impressed that Morrison managed to nail that.
