The Summoners War: Awakening #4 // Review
The heroes are flanked by powerful enemies. They aren’t alone. There are a lot of people willing to help them out, but what exactly is it going to cost everyone to get out alive? This is a really important question, and it’s one that’s going to have to be answered in time as The Summoners War: Awakening #4 begins. Writer Justin Jordan continues the fantasy adventure with artist Luca Claretti and colorist Igor Monti. The series continues with a lot of action and a little bit of drama in a fun and appealing story that toys just a bit with some clever complexity.
It may be a really confined space, but there are A LOT of elements in play: a unicorn, a gryphon, and a whole lot of magic. Things could really go in any direction...particularly as it is the case that the soldiers aren’t adored by the people of the village. They know an opportunity when they see one, but are they up to using rocks and improvised weapons against armored soldiers with swords? Maybe the heroes can turn things around, but can they do so while keeping everyone safe? It’s going to be a challenge.
Jordan takes a basic action sequence and makes it appealingly complex. A simple fight between multiple different opponents turns into a very complicated little skirmish. It's fun to watch it play out. However, there are way too many units in place for it to fit between two covers of a single comic book. Certainly, the way he's presenting it is not laid out in a way that allows the reader to see everything that's going on. It's a messy battle. There's a lot going on. But it just doesn't hit the page in a way that seems at all intelligible. This would be fine if that kind of chaos was what Jordan was going for. Clearly, it's not. So, it feels a little messy.
Claretti does the best she can with what she is presented. It would take some kind of conceptual genius to fit it all on the page in a way that really maximizes the impact of every different element of the battle. As it is, there is quite a bit that is appealing about the action. In particular, Monti does a stellar job with the coloring. It really feels like combat in a desert town in the middle of the day. The shadows hit the ground in a really fun way. The luminosity of the magic is visually stunning at times. It may not be entirely clear what's going on at any one moment, but it really looks cool.
Jordan is beginning to ramp up towards the climax of this particular series. It's going to be interesting to see the way it all comes together. Once things have settled down into a more intelligible fashion, the ensemble should hit the page with suitable flare. As of right now, it's all kind of a mess. But that's kind of the nature of battle, isn't it?
