I Am Legion #6

Written by Fabien Nury
Art by John Cassaday

While, this title has shuffled to its perplexing confusion, making me wonder why I don't trade-wait things like this. Really, this has been a good story, but the long delay between issues, the fact that each issue is half of the original French volumes, and that the story features such an abundance of similarly-dressed characters, this book would read way better in one sitting than in the format I chose to purchase it in.

I like the way the book attempts to tie itself back into real WWII events at the end, and the way the author portrays Churchill. Most of the rest of the comic was lost on me, I'm sad to say. Maybe I'll read the whole thing in the summer and have a different opinion....

I Am Legion #5

Written by Fabien Nury
Art by John Cassaday
I don't think I have anything new to say about this title. It's moving along at a good clip, but its still a little confusing, as it jumps around in setting without much explanation, and the sporadic publishing schedule makes it hard to remember what went on before. This is one of those books that I wish I'd trade-waited, as it would probably read so much better in a concentrated amount of time.

Cassaday's artwork is lovely as always, and the story is compelling.

I Am Legion #4

Written by Fabien Nury
Art by John Cassaday
This title is about two months late (which seems weird with a book that is basically a reprint), and that made it difficult to follow for me - I'd forgotten who some of the characters were, and what the set-up was. This problem is exacerbated by the way in which the book jumps to a different setting every couple of panels without providing any sort of explanation. At the same time, it's worth remembering that this issue is basically the second half of the second book of the original French publication, and so the writer wouldn't have felt the need to provide much exposition.

Anyway, once I got over my confusion, I began to enjoy the story again, as it worked its way towards its ultimate conclusion. Hopefully the next issue won't take so long to arrive (an ad for it says it will be out in May of 2009!).

I Am Legion #3

Written by Fabien Nury
Art by John Cassaday

As this series progresses, I find I like it more and more. There are a lot of narrative jumps, and sometimes its hard to be sure who is who, but the story has become more intriguing as it has picked up more espionage elements.

Cassaday's art is fantastic as always - I especially like the emptied crypt under the church. I know that the size of the art has been reduced for this format of comic, and that might lead to some of the confusion in character recognition.

My biggest problem with this comic is that some of the letter balloons are pointing the wrong way, making some dialogue very confusing. It's my understanding that this book has been translated for years - you'd think that someone would have taken the time to read it over carefully.

I Am Legion: The Dancing Faun #2

Written by Fabien Nury
Art by John Cassaday

This is a really dense book. I think I hadn't noticed how decompressed North American comics have really become until I read this title - they pack more content in one issue here than an American trade paperback.

The story is making a lot more sense now, as it has become a war story, an investigative procedural, and a horror comic all in one great package. Cassaday's art is brilliant as usual, but highly constrained by the heavy number of panels per page and the large word balloons. He's a strange artist for this type of story, but it works nonetheless.

I Am Legion: The Dancing Faun #1

Written by Fabien Nury
Art by John Cassaday

I know that this series originally came out years ago, but I never bothered picking it up for some reason or another, which in the end is a good thing, as the DC/Humanoids version never saw completion. Now DDP has entered into a publishing agreement with Humanoids, and they are printing the entire series.

The problem with this new version has a lot to do with formatting - fitting a European graphic novel into a 6-issue series means arbitrarily cutting off the story after x number of pages, which can be quite disruptive to the story-telling. Add to that the fact that European comics take their time in getting to some exposition, and you have a slightly confusing book on your hands. I'm not sure I've figured out all that is going on in this first issue, but I am intrigued enough to stick with it.

The story seems to be about some sort of body-jumping entity, a little girl with powers, a secret investigative group, and some Romanian guys with guns. Like I said, I'm not all that clear on what's happening, but maybe I just need to read it again.

Cassaday's art, it comes as no surprise, is fantastic here, and makes the purchase worth while.