Some New Kind of Slaughter

~0r~ Lost in the Flood (and How We Found Home Again)
Written by A. David Lewis
Art by mpMann

This is a very unique and scholarly from Archaia - exactly the type of work they were beginning to build a reputation for when they went on their lengthy publishing hiatus (and before working with the Gene Roddenberry and Jim Henson estates).

This panoramic graphic novel is concerned with the preponderance of flood myths in many different cultures. It uses one of these myths as its foundation as Ziusudra, a king who has led some of his people onto an ark to escape floodwaters, experiences visions of different flood stories, including a woman searching for her family in the flooded American heartland. The format is both effective and frustrating, as the narrative jumps between so many places with such similar events unfolding. The effect is kaleidoscopic in nature, and what sticks with the readers are the similarities more than the differences.

Of particular interest is the way in which Lewis and Mann deal with the Noah myth. They focus on his family relations, much as Timothy Findley did in 'Not Wanted on the Voyage' (which I never read in novel form, but I did see the play in high school). Noah's difficulty in communicating with his sons becomes central to the story here, just as Ziusudra is unable to communicate with his sleeping wife.

Mann's art is very nice here. He makes good use of the sideways format, which permits lots of wide-angle scenes (even while making reading in bed difficult). His style shifts subtly for different time periods or tales, but common links are established with a reliable colour palette of blues and greens.

This is a meticulously researched, and thought-provoking piece of work. I hope that the publication of this means that 'Inanna's Tears' might also see publication soon.

The Lone and Level Sands

Written by A. David Lewis
Art by mpMann


This is a really interesting re-telling of the story of Moses and the Pharoah, but told from Ramses's point of view. The king wants to do right by his people, and is working to fulfill his father's vision of Abu Simbel and its temples and monuments. The portrayal of Ramses is of a family man - devoted to his queen and grandchild above all else.

Ramses is met by his cousin, Moses, and Aaron, who come to him as leaders of the Israelites to demand their freedom. The story is familiar - there are wonders beheld, followed by refusals, leading to plagues.

What makes this telling of the story so compelling is that we see Ramses as being manipulated by Jahweh, the god of the Israelites. At each point where he is shown as being ready to concede to their demands, God speaks to him from the mouths of his closest advisors and family members, convincing him to stay the course, with increasingly disastrous results. The effect of this is to portray the Egyptian people not as cruel slave-holders, but as pawns in a game played out on a cosmic level.

I don't know if there is any sort of historical evidence to support this telling, or if Lewis and Mann are simply telling the story their way, but it does place the bible stories in a different light. I'm sure there are some who might see this tale as lightly anti-Semitic, but that would be over-stating things a great deal.

The comic is gorgeous - Mann's art is well suited for this type of story. The colours, by Jennifer Rodgers are such an integral part of my enjoyment of this book, that I don't know how it would have read in the original black and white. I imagine it would have been very difficult to tell some of the Egyptian characters apart.

Reading this book does make me wonder a few things about Archaia Studios Press, and more specifically, the status of Lewis and Manns' "A New Kind of Slaughter" (which I was enjoying very much), and Mann's other recent series (with Rob Vollmar), "Inanna's Tears". If anyone knows what might happen to these titles following the buy-out by Devil's Due, I'd appreciate knowing (I want to know what's up with the Killer too - I love that book).