Nomen Omen #11 // Review
Becky Kumar is upset. Now she finally has the power to do something about it, but even if she's able to get revenge, there are greater forces at work than the twisted god Taranis who had stolen her heart. The worlds of the magic and the mundane collide in the cataclysmic eleventh issue of Nomen Omen written by Marco B. Bucci. Artist/colorist Jacopo Camagni brings the proper scope of the events of the issue to the page with explosive power in a rare installment of a contemporary comic book that feels every bit as powerful in visuals as it is in narrative.
Becky has had enough. An old god has quite literally stolen her heart. Now she's ready to confront him with the full force of overwhelming power. Her power, however, is nothing next to a ritual being performed by one of the most powerful wielders of magic in ancient legend. Manhattan's getting a new name. That name: Arcadia. This isn't just changing the name on any map. It's a true name, and true names are kind of a big deal where magic is involved. So naturally, Manhattan is going to experience kind of a big event. The attacks of 9/11 were nothing compared to what lies in store for it at the end of the issue.
Bucci gives the narrative quite a jolt in a bit climactic issue. Much of the plot's forward momentum reaches a big, explosive climax here, but there IS more on the other side of this issue. Bucci lets a great deal of dramatic tension explode this issue while still leaving a lot of power and wonder for the series moving forward. It's a remarkable balancing act that should guide the series gracefully ever-closer to its conclusion. Bucci manages to keep everything dazzlingly in perspective in a truly major event for the limited series.
Camagni deftly weaves the color of magic against the black and white of the mundane world in a chapter the pulses between combat, drama, and epic cataclysm. The action flows across the page. The power of mega-events hit page and panel so often in comic books that it can be very, very difficult to make a big disaster feel terribly heavy on the comic page. Camagni gives the explosiveness of Manhattan's renaming the bizarre mega-power it deserves. The renaming ritual actually hits the page with its own unique form as words shoot across the page amidst hovering hearts under the watchful eye of Madea.
As visually powerful as this issue is, Camagni's art never overpowers the story. Likewise, Bucci's story never weighs-down the art. More so than almost any other issue of the series thus far, Nomen Omen #11 is very sharply balanced. With all that's happened, it's kind of strange to think that there are still another four issues left to go in the series. It'll be interesting to see where Bucci and Camagni take a Manhattan that has become Arcadia's fairyland. A deeper fantasy awaits in issues to come.
