Review: "The Seven Soldiers of Victory"!

I'm not sure what I expected when I picked up Grant Morrison's "The Seven Soliders of Victory" Volume 1. I guess I looked at it with a mind expecting lighthearted, whimsy, fly-around-town-looking-cutsey-while-busting-a-bank-robber type comic. I mean yes, the cover is pretty badass. But, as a reviewer, I've learned the hard way that you don't want to judge a comic by it's cover. I've read comics with HORRIBLE covers that have turned out to be amazing. I've read comics with BEAUTIFUL works of art on the cover that ended up being the biggest disappointment ever. With that in mind, I try to just grab and read before I get an initial prediction of what the comic will be like. Today, I guess I was just looking for a good superhero read. What I got, however, I never bargained for.

"The Seven Soliders of Victory" was originally released as single issues and later collected into volumes. It seemed a little jumpy at first and honestly, I was a little confused but it didn't take too long for me to catch on to the plot changes as I grew acclimated to the characters and their settings. The volume begins with a group of superheroes hunting a giant spider in the desert. Native American folklore told of the beast, and the group is out to find it and put an end to it. However, the hunt isn't as easy as it seems and once the beast is slayed, a group of gods lowers itself onto the group (who, in turn, becomes the prey of their hunt). The rest of the novel, based on this group, is absolutely incredible. The original six are beautifully woven into the stories of the modern-day group. The modern-day group does not meet. They do not know each other. But, ultimately, they are all connected.
 Without ruining too much of the story for you, an example: a fairy in one character's story shows up in a jar in a shop that another character goes into. Little crosses like this show me that the story was extremely thought out and that there is a much deeper meaning and future for the series. This keeps me hooked. Beyond making everything perfectly intertwined, the volume intrigued me in that the characters are so REAL. They have real struggles, real emotions, and real personalities. I felt like I knew each and every one of the heroes as a close friend by the end. When they felt down, I felt really down. The fact that you, the reader, knows that all of these characters are linked when they don't gives you hope that everything will be ok. On the other hand, you see the misfortunes of all of the characters and you feel that combining them would result in disaster. Linking your reader to your characters is an extremely powerful tool. When you can make your reader feel what you WANT them to, its power is evident in your success.

There is SO much beauty in this series. If not for the artwork, for the plot. The plot is one that has many, many layers of intertwined but separate stories. If not the action-packed plot alone, the characters that brighten the story like blood spill on snow. The characters that seem so lifelike that your heart feels for them. Whatever you're looking for, you'll find it in "Seven Soldiers". Not only will you find what you're looking for, you'll find something that dwells in your mind all day. This this reviewer, it seems so much more than a mere comic. It's revolutionary.

On to the ratings!

Creativity of Writing: 5/5 This was a no brainer. I've never ran into a comic as well thought-out and balanced and beautiful as this one. This unexpected surprise has completely made my day. The characters are VERY "3-Dimensional". That is, very life-like. Very relatable. Very REAL. The action never stops and mysteries unravel as your mind is bombarded with everything that's going on around the characters. The text is very easy to understand.

Creativity of Art: 5/5 I LOVE the big pages. The panels are clear, very colorful, and very detailed. The characters look nice. There's no skimping out on the detail and there's not a generic looking scene or face in the whole volume. Everything looks good. The bubbles are easy to follow and allow for adequate room in the bubble and outside of it. It's a nice transition between the strictly hand-drawn comics of the past and the completely computer-generated comics of more recent times.

Overall Casual Read Rating: 5/5 If I were stuck on a desert island with this comic, I think I'd be ok with the fact that I was stranded at least until I finished the book. I very much enjoyed the entire thing and it entertained me for a good hour or so. I would HIGHLY reccommend it to anyone looking for a good introductory comic OR someone who thinks they've read it all. I think that it relates to anyone with a pulse, as the characters demand so much of the reader emotionally. Overall, this comic blew me away.

Grant, let's do an interview!

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