Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Kirby Genesis #2

Reading Kirby Genesis is almost like playing a trivia game.

That's because the series includes a swarm of Kirby concepts and characters - some obscure and others only slightly obscure.

Long-time comics fans will enjoy spotting familiar characters, like the heroes from the Secret City series, Silver Star, Captain Victory and numerous others.

And while I get that they're pacing this book at Kirby speed, I do think they've gone too far with trying to cram too many characters into one series. We're inundated with superheroes, gods, aliens, monsters and ordinary mortals at such a breakneck pace that it's difficult to keep them straight.

Credit writer Kurt Busiek with managing to keep it mostly clear, but it's just too many new characters and races and settings to keep up with.

The art by Jack Herbert and Alex Ross is outstanding, giving everything a lush, painted look. Heaven knows how they keep this huge cast straight.

I'm still enjoying this series, but more as trivia than as a comic series. Perhaps if they'll slow this train down just a bit and focus more on a smaller cast, it'll be a bit easier to take.

As it is, it's like trying to get a drink of water from a fire hose.

Grade: B

2 comments:

Mondo said...

I dipped into ish 0 on Sunday, I'm buzzed for it, but does look a bit, well, busy. Having said that, Kurt Busiek's Marvels whipped along at the pace of a carnival parade

Chuck said...

Mondo, I kind of enjoy the crazy pace of the series, but after three issues it's almost too much. Maybe the modern "decompressed" story approach comics use makes it difficult to switch gears back to "Kirby speed."