Sparta U.S.A. #6

Written by David Lapham
Art by Johnny Timmons

David Lapham makes some very cool comics.  He has a unique approach to writing, and often peoples his books with duplicitous and immoral people, who usually get what's coming to them.  In Sparta USA, he examines some of his usual themes, but from a different perspective.

The town of Sparta is built on the two pillars of American culture: football and violent self-interest.  When the former Spartan hero, Godfrey McLaine returned to the town after years of absence, he upset the order of things.  The Maestro, the mysterious leader of the town, responded by attacking with an army of Nazis (yes, Nazis).

This final issue has the final battle between McLaine and his army, and the Nazi forces.  It reveals just about everything that I have been wondering about since the beginning of the book, and explains the source of The Maestro's power.  It also has a couple of twists I didn't expect, especially at the very end.

The art has been decent throughout the series, and the story, while frequently bizarre, was interesting and enjoyable.  I hope to see more work from Lapham soon (hopefully he'll draw something again).

Sparta U.S.A. #5

Written by David Lapham
Art by Johnny Timmons

I think this title has crossed the line into being almost impossible to describe.  Previously, this was a book about a isolated town modeled on small-town America, set somewhere in the mountains of a world that had undergone some drastic changes from the one we live in now.  The citizens of Sparta, trained from an early age to place their own needs above all else, and to love football, were sort of led by a blue man they called the Maestro.  Once their most famous football star, long believed dead, returns (he's red now) and challenges the Maestro, we kind of settle into a story about his insurgency on the town, backed by the large number of women he'd slept with before he left.  There was magic, Yetis, and precognitive dreams, but within the realm of comic book logic, it was workable.

Now, there are Nazis invading the town, and bizarre historical and folkloric references abound.  I have basically no idea where this book is going now, but I'm okay with that, because Lapham is always an interesting writer.  There are now more references to Ancient Sparta - one character is told to take up the mantle of Leonidas, and the number 300 abounds, but there is also discussion of a town called Hamelin.  This has been a very cool story, and I'm eager to see how Lapham wraps it all up.

Simmons's art looks a little rushed in this issue, and isn't up to the standard that he set for the first few.  I'm hoping he's back on track for the finale.

Sparta U.S.A. #4

Written by David Lapham
Art by Johnny Timmons

With two issues to go, Lapham continues to keep most of the big picture to himself, and keeps readers as confused as many of the citizens of Sparta are at the end of this issue.

It seems most everyone in the town is scheming in one way or another.  Johnny Franks is after Godfrey's football records, and is probably planning on betraying the returned hero.  At the same time, Wanda, Godfrey's wife, seems to be chasing her own agenda, and has something to do with Johnny's girlfriend's suicide.  And then, at the very end of the issue, we learns something totally unexpected about the Maestro, who has remained hidden since the second issue.

This is a deeply strange series, as Lapham portrays a deeply strange image of an American small town set in isolation in a world that is very different from our own.  I've been enjoying his writing on this book a great deal, and like Timmons's artwork.

Sparta U.S.A. #3

Written by David Lapham
Art by Johnny Timmons

Lapham's post-Apocalyptic football saga is becoming better with every issue, and it was pretty good from the start.  This month, Godfrey begins to lay the groundwork for his fight with the Maestro, training his army of women, securing new allies, and informing people of life outside of Sparta.

It's becoming clear that the world where this story is set is vastly different from what one would expect from a casual study of the way the town is portrayed in the first two issues.  Whatever has happened to create these conditions, it was huge.

The thing I like best about this issue is the way in which Lapham has the citizens of Sparta use so many football metaphors in their daily speech.  It really helps to cement the fundamental importance of the sport to this society.  I also like the way in which the story jumps around in time, creating more suspense.

Timmons's artwork continues to impress, and is getting better with each issue.  This is a really unique and interesting title.

Sparta U.S.A. #2

Written by David Lapham
Art by Johnny Timmons

This is a really cool book. Lapham is taking his time explaining everything, as quarterback hero Godfrey McLaine tries to take on the Maestro in front of the whole town, and suffers a major beating for his troubles. He slinks back to his old house (now a museum), and is joined by an old girlfriend. Together, they start putting together a small army, and plot to overthrow the Maestro.

Lapham is being very stingy in giving out information. We don't know why Godfrey is red, or why the Maestro is blue. We don't yet know what is beyond the mountains outside of town, what all the stuff in Godfrey's bag can do, or why the town of Sparta exists and is so football-obsessed. I look forward to finding out the answers to these questions, as Lapham has really caught my interest here.

When I wrote about the first issue, I mentioned that I wished Lapham was providing the art for this title as well. No longer though. I really like Johnny Timmon's art, and thinks it works much better for the atmosphere in this type of story than Lapham's probably would.

If you're looking for an interesting, unconventional read, go pick this up.

Sparta U.S.A. #1

Written by David Lapham
Art by Johnny Timmons

David Lapham is very good at constructing enclosed, crucible like environments in which to set his stories. He did this in both his Spectre story for DC and his 30 Days of Night story, where almost all of the action was centred around apartment buildings. Towards the end of his amazing Young Liars title for Vertigo, he began to explore similar themes, while moving the action to the town of Browning, a corporate-owned and walled-off town.

Now, he is bringing us Sparta USA, an all-American heartland town where everyone works, lives, and breathes the American dream. At the heart of the town is football, which serves as both obsession and founding myth for the people who live there. As the first issue moves along, we quickly figure out that there is more going on in this town than just high-school football tournaments though. It seems that no one ever leaves the town, and the one person who did, gridiron hero Godfrey McLaine, promptly disappeared.

Except now he's back, and he's red in colour. At first, I thought this might have been a printing mistake, but then we meet the Maestro, the central figure of authority for the town, and the person responsible for distributing new citizens - given to him by the President of the USA - to Spartans to raise. The Maestro is blue.

I don't really understand all that's happening yet. I know that Uncle Bill dug a tunnel to his neighbour, Leonides's house, and murdered his entire family, I think so that his son can take over the general store. Beyond that, Lapham's playing it close to the chest, as he sets us up for the returned Godfrey's big reveal on the last page.

The art for this book, sadly, is not by Lapham, but by a newcomer (to me at least) named Johnny Timmons. His art reminds me very much of Tommy Lee Edwards and John Paul Leon, which is never a bad thing. This is another example of Wildstorm publishing strange, genre-bending comics, which probably won't get half the attention it deserves. If you're bored by your recent comics purchases, you should give this a try.