The Sword #24

by the Luna Brothers

I've really enjoyed The Sword, and am pleased to see that the Luna Brothers were able to bring the series to the conclusion they wanted, in the space they'd planned for.  This has been an interesting series with an original premise.

Dara Brighton, a college student, watches her family get murdered by three people with elemental powers.  Eventually, she discovers that her father, who has been alive since the time of the Ancient Greeks, was the custodian of a powerful sword, the only thing capable of harming these three elementals.  They are the ones who created the sword and had the father, Demetrios, use it to kill their brother back in the day.  After that, Demetrios used it to keep them all in check.

Most of this series has focused on Dara seeking revenge on the three.  She has traveled with her best friend Julie, and with Justin, the slightly nerdy guy who had been Demetrios's student, and who knew the story of the sword.

In this final issue, there is one last confrontation for Dara.  Saying too much would give away the surprise at the end of issue 23, so all I will say is that the Lunas wrap up their story nicely, giving a real sense of closure to things for Dara.  At the centre of this book, from the beginning, has been Dara's sense of family.  Whenever she has been in trouble, we've been given flashbacks to different points in her life, and have been able to see the strength her family has given her.  This issue really pays homage to her family, and I thought the ending was quite touching.

This series is highly recommended.  It's worth picking it up in trade.  I'm looking forward to the next Luna Brothers epic, whenever it gets its start.

The Sword #23

by The Luna Brothers

There's not much that can be said about the penultimate issue of The Sword without spoiling the end of the series. Dara faces off against Malia on the mountain where she was born, and there is a surprise twist ending that I did not see coming at all (although I feel like I need to go back and read the earliest issues to see if there were hints that I over-looked).

One of the things that I have always liked best about this title is the way that, when faced with adversity or a challenge, Dara flashes back to moments with her family where she either learned from them or gained their strength. I hadn't noticed that her flashbacks had always featured her mother or sister, but never her father until now. While fighting her toughest opponent, she turns to her memory of him, and it helps add an emotional level to what is going on.

I'm really looking forward to next issue's conclusion.

The Sword #22

by The Luna Brothers

This issue is pretty much exactly what you would expect by this point in its publication history. Dara and Malia yell at each other a lot, and they fight. There are no flashbacks to Dara's childhood, and barely anyone else above the level of 'innocent bystander' appears in the comic; it's just the start to the final confrontation that has been building for a while.

And while this is a pretty quick read, it's also a very good one. The Lunas have developed Dara and Malia to the point that we can see how the two women are trying to manipulate one another, and while Malia scores the first victory by goading Dara into attacking her first, it is Dara that manages to expose Malia's true nature to the whole world, even though the consequences of that are pretty crazy.

There's not much to say about this comic at this point in its run. People who like it have stuck with it, people who are interested from these reviews are going to wait and read it in trade. I do hope more people check it out though, because it's some pretty cool stuff.

The Sword #21

by the Luna Brothers

With only a few issues remaining for this comic, the Lunas decide to forgo a lot of action this issue, in favor of having Dara and Justin really explore their motivations and characters, and its probably the best issue I've read of this title in a while.

Dara takes a long hard look at herself, and the usually annoying and whiny Justin mans up, setting the story up for the final fight between Dara and Malia. The Lunas have always had great art, but I feel like they are really growing as writers with this issue.

The Sword #20

by the Luna Brothers

This is the first issue of The Sword to be published since September, and I don't feel that the long delay has had any effect on my enjoyment of the story. The Luna Brothers have been putting out a consistently strong comic with this title, although I have no clue what happened to their schedule, which used to be one of the most dependable books Image was putting out.

In this issue, Dara breaks with her best friend Julie, as the two debate the effect that the sword is having on Dara's judgment and personality. At the same time, Dara plays into Malia's media-savvy hands, making a few mistakes in managing her public image.

There is another flashback that helps flesh out Dara's character. It is the careful and measured approach to characterization that has made this such a successful comic in my mind. Yes, I like the look that the Lunas bring to their work, but I think they are growing as writers and becoming more subtle in their handling of emotion and motivation.

I wanted to say something mean about the first letter in the letters column, but now feel bad about that. Still, why put a disclaimer that letters are edited for length and spelling, when you do neither? Grammar is a good thing too....

The Sword #19

by The Luna Brothers

For the first year and a bit, this book was one of the most dependable on the stands - something that always seems odd in an Image book. Lately, it's become increasingly late. I would mind a lot more though if this issue wasn't such a departure from the last few books, which were just gigantic fight scenes, with some flashbacks thrown in to slow things down a little.

Instead, this issue is all about spin. Malia makes her case for the hearts and minds of the world, providing her own version of her family's history, matched with illustrations that are more in line with the tale Dara's been told. We also learn that there was more between her and Demetrios than we'd ever expected.

Dara's motivations get questioned a little too, and we learn that the sword may have some limits to its power.

In all, this is a much meatier issue than we've seen lately, and it does a lot to set the upcoming confrontation between Dara and Malia as a very different type of conflict. I'm looking forward to seeing it, whenever it comes out.

The Sword #18

by The Luna Brothers

The Sword has been very consistent in its quality lately. I like the way the Lunas keep the story from being strictly a blockbuster action movie by interspersing the giant fight scenes (pun intended) with flashbacks featuring both Dara and her enemies.

The flashbacks in this issue accomplish two things. First, they show that Knossos was always the wussiest of his siblings. The flashback with Dara and her mother is a perfect example of how the Lunas are growing in their ability to show subtlety and emotion.

As this title ends, I look forward to seeing what they have on deck for their next project.

The Sword #17

by the Luna Brothers

Things are getting more and more dangerous for Dara as Knossos turns into a giant mountain man (getting himself on CNN in the process), and Malia flies down to Mexico to express her anger at the both of them.

This is another action-heavy issue, with a couple of flashbacks added to both slow down the momentum of the story, and to provide some characterization and development. It's a pretty standard formula for this book now, but it's one that is continuing to work.

This title has fallen off its schedule a little lately, but has been remarkably consistent over the last year and a half, in terms of both shipping and artistic quality. There can't be that many issues left in this story, which is a shame, as its an original and inventive piece of work.

The Sword #16

by The Luna Brothers

This is another good issue of this series. Perhaps this issue doesn't have the same level of jaw-dropping action as the last (pun intended), but it does a nice job of providing some background and character development for Knossos, and of setting up Dara's battle with Malia before this one is even done.

I'm not sure how much of this series is left. It's clear that the Luna brothers have a finite ending in mind, and I'm guessing that the book won't be around past issue 24 or 25.

The Sword #15

by the Luna Brothers

From the start of this series, the Luna Brothers have been showing some pretty gory and bloody fight scenes, extrapolating just what a magical sword can do to a person's body, but in this issue, they seem to push themselves further than ever before, as Dara gets into a fight with the Mexican drug lord who has taken the sword. It's really very graphic, and pretty disgusting.

At the same time as this is going on, there is another flashback showing how Dara's character was formed by her family as she grew up. What I find interesting about these flashbacks is that they never seem to feature her father, who I would assume, being immortal, would have a lot of wisdom to impart. It's as if they are suggesting that her father was not a central part of her life, which is interesting considering his past and abilities.

The Sword is a very good series. I look forward to seeing Dara's showdown with Knossos next issue, but I also hope it doesn't drag out over too many issues.

The Sword #14

by the Luna Brothers

This continues to be a good comic. Dara gets shot a lot, Justin finally grows a pair, and the sword, which had been kept a secret for a few thousand years, gains another fan.

This comic is in full-out blockbuster mode. It's all action, and a very quick read, but at the same time, the Luna brothers have managed to make Dara and her friends people that I care about, and I'm always curious to see the next issue.

The Sword #13

by the Luna Brothers

So, if a character were to say something like, "Do you really think we're going to track Knossos down, just by following some two-bit dealer?", and then, two pages later, that plan actually works, despite the fact that the characters have been in the city for about 20 minutes (and only a couple of pages, most of which were flashback), does that qualify as an admission by the writers that they are aware that things are going slightly off the rails?

I really liked The Sword at the beginning, and I still enjoy it, but I feel like there has been a conscious effort made by the Lunas to finish the series quickly now. It took about five issues for this book to really get going, but the slow pace was warranted by the type of epic story they were telling. Now I feel like there is a huge rush to get to the next battle, and plotting and character development are no longer concerns. I don't know if they have an end-number in mind for this series, but it seems it's going to come sooner than I would have originally expected.

It's too bad, because this is an interesting book with an interesting concept.