FCBD 2013 Aphrodite IX Vol. 2 #1 (Top Cow)
From 2013. Brand-new material presented as one of Top Cow's signature character's returns and launch of a new series. Actually, this reads as very similar to the work Image (Top Cow's former parent company) did with the likes of Prophet a few years back, updating the character to a new context and hoping new readers will notice. In this version, the new context is apparently After Earth, whose prelude comic book incarnation reads very similar to this material. I'm not terribly familiar with Aphrodite IX. I know other properties from the publisher far better (relatively speaking), especially those tied up in the Artifacts franchise, including Witchblade and the Darkness. (Top Cow, meanwhile, is very similar to fellow Image spinoff Aspen in sticking to the Scantily Clad Female Hero as its defining aesthetic, something both knew and helped kick around in the '90s.) As far as I can tell, at least as presented in this issue, the title character really doesn't have much of a legacy at all. Either I skipped over the word bubble (because this is all very talky, reminiscent of Matt Hawkins' military approach as seen in other projects like Think Tank) that explained her name or it really is as arbitrary as it seems. The art is another problem. At first it looks like a key asset, but like the constant stream of mostly non-involving word diarrhea, it becomes off-putting in its increasingly sterile approach. Digitally speaking, it's also curious that even at the maximum size comiXology allows, the lettering is hard to read. I don't know whose fault that is.
Bottom line is, I'm glad I read this for free. There's potential in this relaunch, but it's buried potential. The best moments feel spontaneous, familiar. The worst moments feel as if they were programmed by rote, without any emotional attachment necessary at all, which is a problem when you're trying to reach the wide audience of Free Comic Book Day. Top Cow remains a publisher on the verge for reasons exactly like this. At this point it's got plenty of history behind it, but that only serves to alienate potential new readers. Unless you like Scantily Clad Female Heroes. Although Aphrodite IX will never compare to Witchblade in that department, alas.
"word diarrhea" lol
ReplyDeleteIt's the image of the day!
DeleteI do remember comics were pretty talky back when I read them heavily in the early 80's. A lot of the ones I've read recently let the art carry a lot of the storytelling, which I like. But I guess there's room for all types. Some types are just more engaging than others.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind talky comics, but they have to do it well. For most of this issue, it was people talking about stuff that didn't advance the story at all. It was window dressing. I hate window dressing storytelling. What's the point? Especially since most of it had nothing at all to do with the title character, even when she finally appeared. And she's immediately plugged right into that story. For a split second it makes sense. And then she falls right through the window dressing. And wouldn't you know it? The lawn was wet...
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