Seven Soldiers of Victory Volume 1

Today is a trade review of Seven Soldiers of Victory Vol 1

This book was written (dreamed of(tripped about)) by Grant Morrison with Various artist.

First let me say that the art is amazing. Every single book holds a different style but each is equally beautiful. I can see this getting the absolute treatment because they tend to do that for this sort of artwork. Simone Bianchi, Frazier Irving, Ryan Sook, JH Williams and more. If you are a fan of any sort of art i would suggest that you pick this book up.

The writing is pretty good. i can't say it is great because i still have no clue what the hell i read after 2 days of thinking about it. It is very loosely put together and sometimes it doesn't feel as strong in some issues as it does on others. Very inconsistent. I am saying this as a fan of Grant Morrison. I like a lot of what he has done. But i also feel that i am judging this a bit too early because it is a four volume series and probably all needs to be read together.

Well now to the story. Volume starts of with the zero issue and focuses on The Vigilante. he is putting together a team of seven too take on a big bad. One of the heroes bows out and they are left with six. Here is a SPOILER******* because they are not seven they fail and die. Wow I am thinking Morrison starts us of with these great heroes and kills them all in a matter of 25 pages. The rest of the story of seven soldiers takes place in seven 4 issue miniseries and they are published in trade form in the order that they are published. This volume has Shining Night, The Guardian, Zantana, and Klarion the Witchboy.

Shining knight is a member of the Arthurian legend that is trying to recover magical items for Arthur and to do so has to battle the big bad that I think is the villain of the book. he get to one but is put through a time warp (its just a jump to the left) and ends up in modern day LA with his winged horse. The police capture him and his horse. Here's the trippy part of this story he speaks in old English so the reader has no idea what he is saying.

The guardian is an ex police officer that has been dismissed because he accidentally shot a boy who he mistook for his partners killer. he is down on his look until he sees an article in a gossip paper for a bodyguard of sorts. when he goes for the interview he is tested and is told that the job is for him to become a superhero. Now here is where the acid kicks in here, his wife and child are kidnapped by subway pirates who travel the NY subway lines with name like all beard and No beard. he spends the rest of his time in this volume on the subway trying to save his family.

The Zantana story is the one i was least looking forward too only because i like being introduced to new characters and I already knew about her. This story starts with Zantana in a paranormal 13 steps program saying that she is a spellaholic. She then goes into her history and her fathers. We come to learn that she has also lost her powers. At the end of the meeting she is approached by a young girl that wants to become her apprentice. The girl is somehow a backwards talker already and knows how to cast spells that way. They go to Z's friends place a business (you guessed it a magic store) where we learn that she is being followed by a phantom. A battle ensues where in the end (here comes the peak of the trip) Z says "GNIRB EM EHT NAM FO YM SMEARD" She is then presented with a snow globe sort of thing that has a man sitting on a sort of mushroom. He gets out and then the Phantom Stranger comes in.

Klarion is a pure acid trip that you all should experience on your own. it involves this Salem like town where they are all witches and it was by far my favorite.

Now here is the thing. All of these stories are supposed to connect somehow and maybe i am just too dense but i cannot see it. I was looking believe me i was really looking for anything but nothing was there for my mind to grasp on to. I will continue to read and let you know if it ever completes it goal IMHO.

Bye all

TJ