by Matt Fraction, Christian Ward, Chris Eliopoulos, Dee Cunniffe; Image Comics
Ody-C is a psychedelic space sojourn set in a distant
future. In some ways it is familiar: Ody-C is literally a cultural/genre
translation of Homer's Odyssey that sees mythic heroes transfigured into
futuristic warriors who are lost in space. That said, Ody-C is also very much
it's own thing too: the translational choices create a bizarre future where men
are all but extinct and a culture of proud warrior women of alien custom
struggle through the whims of capricious gods. It's pretty trippy stuff and a
pretty unusual comics experience. The strength of Ody-C, beyond its concept, is
the artwork of Christian Ward who has created a fluid, alien aesthetic married
to innovative layouts which anchor the psychedelic sensibilities of the story
and sells the sheer otherness of the comic. It's also gorgeous
to look at. What is a bit more unclear to me is how the story of the comic
interacts with the artwork: by being fairly literal in their translation of the
Odyssey, Team Ody-C is melding a massive oral/prose construction to sequential
art. At times, this can be a pretty cool fusion of media that makes the comic
feel like an imagined version of a told story. At other times, the incomplete
interface of narration and artwork makes Ody-C feel more like an illustrated
story than a comic. Overall, I'd say the result is ambitious and interesting,
if a little flawed at times, and that ultimately, Ody-C is a unique thing worth
a look.
Word count: 247
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