Written by Grant Morrison.
Art by Frazier Irving; Pasqual Ferry; Ryan Sook; Mick Gray; Yanick Paquette; Serge LaPointe; Doug Mahnke; Billy Dallas Patton; Michael Bair; Freddie Williams II; & J.H. Williams III.
Collection Cover Art by Ryan Sook.
SUMMARY:
Released in 2011 by DC Comics, this 381-page hardcover concludes the 30-issue Seven Soldiers of Victory epic originally published in 2005-2006. With Seven Soldiers # 0 and Seven Soldiers # 1 serving as its bookends, the saga’s seven primary characters are each showcased in his/her own four-part, interrelated mini-series playing off the premise that none of these Soldiers interact with one another, let alone realize their link to an ancient prophecy.
Presenting writer Grant Morrison’s storyline by each issue’s chronological release rather than each individual mini-series together, Volume 2’s contents shift between Klarion the Witch Boy # 4; Mister Miracle # 1-4; Zatanna # 4; Bulleteer # 1-4; and Frankenstein # 1-4 before concluding with Seven Soldiers of Victory # 1. Grim revelations of The Sheeda’s magical invasion of Earth become more specific, as the destined Seven Soldiers rise against their common enemy.
Notes: As with Volume 1, this title was subsequent re-released as as a trade paperbacks and in digital form. Other formats include: a full-scale, nearly 800-page hardcover Omnibus assembling the entire series and the original Seven Soldiers Books 1-4 trade paperbacks (i.e. Volume 1 combines Books 1-2 and this Volume 2 is the combined Books 3-4).
Klarion’s series finale begins with the Witchboy nearly burned at the stake by Limbo Town’s incensed inhabitants, including his own mother and sister. With the sinister Mister Malmoth and his mercenaries invading Limbo Town, dark secrets are revealed. It’s up to teenage Klarion and his feline familiar, Teekl, to save his underground home from Malmoth’s diabolical plans for ‘updating’ Limbo Town.
Elsewhere, a re-imagined a ‘Mister Miracle’ named Shilo Norman emerges as possibly Earth’s greatest escape artist (note: the existence of Scott Free’s Mister Miracle isn’t addressed). Like his unacknowledged predecessor, the slippery Mister Miracle finds himself targeted by a cadre of otherworldly threats, including the ominous ‘Dark Side.’ Even his extraordinary talents escaping the inescapable may not be enough to overcome these odds.
A possibly powerless Zatanna Zatara and her young apprentice, Misty, arrived in Slaughter Swamp in search of its mysterious Seven Unknown Men. A lethal showdown awaits Zatanna in the form of the evil magician, Zor. The ethereal prize awaiting their battle’s victor is the truth of her late father’s elusive four magical books: the Libri Zatarae.
Stunned by her husband’s reckless death, Alix Harrower has reluctantly become the hero-for-hire Bulleteer – a Bullet Girl for a new generation. It’s revealed that Alix was the unidentified no-show in Seven Soldiers # 0, who had avoided the prior team’s gory annihilation. Forced into battle by a personal foe, Alix refuses the summons of a persistent ghost pressing her acceptance as one of the prophesied new Seven Soldiers. Another ominous link to the prior team has targeted this rookie Bulleteer for assassination by The Sheeda.
With help from his estranged secret-agent wife, The Bride, Frankenstein’s Monster faces multiple grisly missions in his pursuit of the immortal Mister Malmoth following the villain’s escape from a defiant Limbo Town. The legendary undead monster senses he must hunt down Malmoth first in order to destroy The Sheeda.
To thwart The Sheeda Queen and her insidious forces, desperate solo gambits must be made by Frankenstein’s Monster; Zatanna Zatara and Misty; Klarion the Witchboy; Sir Ystina the Shining Knight; and Shilo Norman’s Mister Miracle. Also converging on the scene are Jake Jordan’s Guardian and the Bulleteer, as one of the Seven Soldiers will make the ultimate sacrifice to secure victory. The epilogue updates the fates of some of the survivors.
REVIEW:
Explaining Grant Morrison’s strange Seven Soldiers of Victory, Volume 2 to non-fans would be the equivalent of fathoming Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five as a graphic novel. Perhaps Morrison was aiming for a Vertigo Comics audience that deems weirdly subversive sci-fi/fantasies like Robert A. Heinlein’s Number of the Beast as top-caliber entertainment.
Given the artistic talent involved (and their varying degrees of murkiness), Volume 2’s visuals are consistently stellar – no matter how incomprehensible Morrison’s storyline often is. Before proceeding further, Volume 2 concocts some cleverly devised plot twists, and a few well-written segments (i.e. Zatanna # 4) are easy to follow – scoring some rare poignancy at welcome moments. Yet, that’s more the exception than the rule. While Klarion # 4 and Frankenstein # 2-4 contribute necessary depth to The Sheeda invasion angle (and mostly make sense), the same doesn’t apply so much to either The Bulleteer # 1-4 and Mister Miracle # 1-4.
Case in point: The Bulleteer’s sub-plots include some supernatural characters relevant to Seven Soldiers # 0 and # 1, which generates well-played intrigue. However, the primary arc constructs an inevitable showdown between likable heroine Alix “The Bulleteer” Harrower and the woman her late husband was having a cyber-affair with. Aside from their terrific visual quality, Alix’s adventures are, therefore, mostly irrelevant.
There’s also no mistaking the talented art team’s fixation on displaying the Bulleteer’s blatant sex appeal vs. crafting her a compelling origin tale. While Alix’s mini-series is actually a fun read, her contribution is far more padding than any substantial one. More so, Alix’s cameo in the Seven Soldiers finale surely doesn’t add much to Morrison’s mixed-bag finish line.
As for Morrison’s Mister Miracle, his re-imagining of Jack Kirby’s New Gods (including Darkseid) is a high-concept homage that baffles far more than it dazzles. Readers will find that they have to operate on the same wavelength as Morrison to follow Shilo Norman’s confusing four-part tale. Mister Miracle is prime evidence of how muddled Morrison’s saga becomes when Volume 2 is absorbed as a whole. The glorification of horrific, R-rated plot curveballs (off-screen or not) makes their creative justification throughout this wonky project seem even more tasteless.
Note: Volume 1’s grisly surprises are more repulsive than in Volume 2.
Ultimately, Volume 2’s high-caliber artwork and pristine production values are its two best and most enduring assets. Morrison’s bizarre plotting, by comparison, is overrated, as his impressively grand ambitions tend to fall short of the actual content.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
A two-page summary conveys the events of Seven Soldiers of Victory, Volume 1. The original full-page cover precedes each story. Cover artists are: Frazier Irving (Klarion # 4); Pasqual Ferry (Mister Miracle # 1-2); Freddie Williams II & Dave McCaig (Mister Miracle # 3-4); Ryan Sook (Zatanna # 4); Yanick Paquette, Michael Bair, & Alex Sinclair (Bulleteer # 1 & # 4); Paquette, Serge LaPointe, & Sinclair (Bulleteer # 2-3); Doug Mahnke & Dave Stewart (Frankenstein # 1); Mahnke & John Kalisz (Frankenstein # 2-3); Mahnke & Nathan Eyring (Frankenstein # 4); and J.H. Williams III (Seven Soldiers of Victory # 1).
Morrison, at the end, presents six pages of insightful script notes preparing Seven Soldiers of Victory # 1. Presented in a full-page format, the collection covers for Seven Soldiers of Victory, Book Three (cover artists: Paquette, LaPointe, & Stewart) and Book Four (cover artists: Mahnke & Stewart) are included. In a full, double-page montage (essentially, a poster), Sook’s collection cover artwork for Seven Soldiers of Victory, Volumes 1 & 2 is saved for last.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6½ Stars
