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A review by mediaevalmuse
Arclight by Brandon Graham
3.0
Medievalisms? Aliens? Genderqueer characters? Sounds like everything I could possibly have an interest in! In many ways, I loved this comic - it was gorgeous to look at, and I loved the fantastical world the story was trying to establish. Perhaps because the run is so limited, there was just not enough room to make this a satisfying story. Without help in navigating the worldbuilding, I was ultimately left dissatisfied and confused. However, I am glad I read it, and I now have a lot of pretty art to look at!
Things I Liked
1. Art: Marian Churchland’s art is gorgeous. It’s not overly detailed, but it is elegant and uses a lot of pretty colors. I especially liked the look of Arclight and various suits of armor - Arclight wears a lot of make up and his armor has a lot of beautiful scrollwork. Other characters likewise wear armor with interesting silhouettes. It’s very much fantastical armor rather than practical armor, and I loved every panel.
2. Genderqueer Characters: Arclight is the character that primarily promotes the “genderqueer” label in this comic, but I’d go so far to say that the whole world is built on genderqueer characters and fashions. I loved that aspect because many of the lgbt+ comics I’ve read have still adhered to strict gender binaries, and it was fun to read a fantasy story where genderqueer characters were active parts of the narrative.
3. Fantastical Elements: Yay magic! Yay bodyswapping! Yay mystical goose sidekick! Yay riding weird creatures that look like tauntauns! Even if I didn’t always understand how the world worked, I loved seeing random fantasy things on every page.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Lack of Coherence: This comic moves so fast that there’s not a lot of time to understand how the worldbuilding works, nor is there a lot of help when it comes to changing scenes. As I was reading, I was often confused, and a lot of things I had questions about were never addressed.
2. Lack of Depth: Again, because this story moves so fast, I felt like I didn’t really get to know a lot of characters or the world they lived in. I wish this series was more extended and ongoing rather than a 4-issue limited affair.
3. Narrative: I still can’t really tell what happened in the last issue of this comic.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in sci-fi/fantasy mash-ups, magic, blood magic, and genderqueer characters.
Things I Liked
1. Art: Marian Churchland’s art is gorgeous. It’s not overly detailed, but it is elegant and uses a lot of pretty colors. I especially liked the look of Arclight and various suits of armor - Arclight wears a lot of make up and his armor has a lot of beautiful scrollwork. Other characters likewise wear armor with interesting silhouettes. It’s very much fantastical armor rather than practical armor, and I loved every panel.
2. Genderqueer Characters: Arclight is the character that primarily promotes the “genderqueer” label in this comic, but I’d go so far to say that the whole world is built on genderqueer characters and fashions. I loved that aspect because many of the lgbt+ comics I’ve read have still adhered to strict gender binaries, and it was fun to read a fantasy story where genderqueer characters were active parts of the narrative.
3. Fantastical Elements: Yay magic! Yay bodyswapping! Yay mystical goose sidekick! Yay riding weird creatures that look like tauntauns! Even if I didn’t always understand how the world worked, I loved seeing random fantasy things on every page.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Lack of Coherence: This comic moves so fast that there’s not a lot of time to understand how the worldbuilding works, nor is there a lot of help when it comes to changing scenes. As I was reading, I was often confused, and a lot of things I had questions about were never addressed.
2. Lack of Depth: Again, because this story moves so fast, I felt like I didn’t really get to know a lot of characters or the world they lived in. I wish this series was more extended and ongoing rather than a 4-issue limited affair.
3. Narrative: I still can’t really tell what happened in the last issue of this comic.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in sci-fi/fantasy mash-ups, magic, blood magic, and genderqueer characters.