Glory #32

Written by Joe Keatinge
Art by Ross Campbell, Owen Gieni, Emi Lenox, Sloane Leong, Jed Dougherty, and Greg Hinkle

I've always been a sucker for those 'night before the big battle' kind of comics, where the heroes take a few quiet moments to reflect on their lives, and to contact loved ones before entering into the gigantic conflicts that can only be done properly in comics.  They work to add great weight to what comes next, even if, in mainstream comics at least, the big final thing is not all that final for anyone.

In this series, Glory, her sister Nanaja, and their assorted allies, are hanging out at Glory's parents' lovely house in the woods, waiting for a Knight of Thule, a gigantic, destructive creature  to attack.  To say that Glory's family has had it's share of problems is understating things severely, and it is from that that most of the issue's drama unfolds.

With the big battle looming, the characters get some time to themselves, with guest artists drawing two pages each.  Of the group named above, the only one I am familiar with (aside from regular artist Ross Campbell of course) is Emi Lenox, who draws autobiographical cartoons that are worlds away from the style of this series.  Still, her appearance here works well, as she chats with Henry, the big plush-toy looking medic, and he gives her his camera (there is no discussion of his giving away the sandwich press).  The other pages are more conventional, keeping closer to the look of the series (although Sloane Leong's art looks a lot like Giuseppe Camuncoli's, mixed with some Keith Giffen).

I have enjoyed being exposed to new artists, although I do hope that Ross Campbell handles the last two issues of this title on his own, as I love his beefy approach to Glory.