RAPTURE (ISSUES 2 – 6)
March 4th 2010 17:17
Category: Graphic Novels/Comics
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Production Team: Michael Avon Oeming – story/art/cover art, Taki Soma – story/layouts/cover art, Val Staples – colours/cover colours, Thomas Mauer – letters, David Mack – alternate cover art
Cost: AU$4.95 – 5.95/US$2.99
Frankly after reading the bulk of this particular series, of which I couldn’t track down issue no 1, I find myself slightly perplexed at the whole thing. Perhaps I have missed something immensely vital in that first issue or perhaps I have just missed where the entire story is going, or as I suspect the creators of this particular series were trying to be too many things to too many people and not nailing many of them down. I had heard interesting remarks about this particular story, it piqued my curiosity and naturally if there was a chance to get a hold of it then I was going to take that chance. Now that I have read the bulk of it I find myself thinking that perhaps there was something else I could have focused my attention on; oh well such is life.
Now while this is a nice little plot contrivance frankly it is one that kind of demeans the vast bulk of ordinary human beings that populate the nations and cities of the world. In essence it seems to indicate that without champions the society of normal people will literally collapse into a morass of death, destruction and depravity. Then there is the plot device of the mystical spears, handed out willy nilly to various individuals by a mysterious figure known only as Word. Word seems to be something akin to a Deus Ex Machina left behind to prevent the precisely what has happened, and you have to say he hasn’t done to good of a job at it. The spears give the wielder tremendous powers and abilities, the abilities of a champion but unfortunately the champions to whom they are given are prone to all that is good and bad in human nature.
Our primary protagonist in this series is one Evelyn Town, a relatively ordinary girl who has literally been dropped right into it and has no idea on how to proceed from there. Although she does manage to make a decent showing of it all, which says probably more about her strength of will and resolve than the magic spear she uses. Actually I would have to say that the entire work is an example of a reverse Death Note syndrome; very likeable primary protagonist but a real dog’s hash of a story. I have to say that I do like Evelyn Town; she is very much an everyman style character, an individual who is essentially thrust into a situation that seems to be completely beyond her abilities to resolve. Kind of like Shinji Ikari in Neongenesis Evangelion 1.01: You Are (Not) Alone, an individual who is told point blank that here is some kind of mega fantastic device to help you now go forth and save the entirety of human society.
It’s a big ask, especially of someone who has no real idea of just where to start and precisely how she is meant to accomplish this immense goal. It would be like trying to count grains of sand on a beach, still this is what Evelyn has been requested to do, and reluctantly she attempts to go about her newfound role. Sadly though even if she is a likeable character it seems that the story in which her antics are portrayed isn’t, just what exactly is it trying to be? Is it a morality tale, a romance, a post-apocalyptic nightmare, a standard superhero tale with a twist or none of the above? My own opinion is that it’s very much the latter, none of the above. Sure there are elements of all the previously mentioned aspects in Rapture but the sad thing is they are not really brought together as a coherent whole that really works. Which is a shame as the protagonist in this tale cries out for a real tight taut piece of storytelling in which to act against but it isn’t there.
And don’t get me started on the conclusion to the whole thing, as I read the final pages I found myself figuratively scratching my head and mentally saying “What the…” Unlike the dictionary definition Rapture is not likely to inspire ecstatic delight nor is it going to transport you somewhere, if anything you may be left somewhat bemused and flummoxed to say the least.
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