BAD THING: Despite a glossary in the back that tries to explain away some of the more obscure in-jokes that American audiences are likely to miss (i.e. the nod to The Avengers and I don't mean the ones led by Tony Stark), there's quite a bit that can still be missed by your average American.
I had to explain to a friend, for instance, that Morris Dancing has a number of traditions behind it - among them the belief that the ritual of the dance causes certain things to happen, like the start of summer or the end of winter. So the idea of a group of men doing a magical dance in order to turn back time or open a portal to another reality is just an application of the ritual magic performed by cults in your average H.P. Lovecraft story being applied to what most see as a harmless folk tradition that is only practiced "seriously" in a few remote English villages.
This is also why the presence of a woman disrupts the magic. Because even if you don't believe that the presence of a woman can foul-up the masculine energy being drawn upon, the fact that the Morris Men believe that is enough to shake their faith in the spell. You see?
GOOD THING: Another fascinating plot, though one perhaps more worth of Hellblazer than Batman and Robin as The Knight and Squire investigate a cult of Morris Dancers.
The Final Verdict: Still an enjoyable series for an Anglophile like myself. I can't help but think that this is a bit much for the average American comic book reader, even with the glossary at the end.
the motorcycles make me think of K9.
ReplyDeleteI haven't picked this one up, but from everything I've heard about the glossary, it reminds me of the "Captain Britain & MI: 13" annual that was all about cricket. I enjoyed the book all of the time except for most of that issue where I sat there and went, "What the hell?"
ReplyDeleteI do like Cornell as a writer, and had I not known about the glossary, I'd have probably picked this up. Not saying it's a waste to pick it up, mind, just that I prefer to understand my comics on the first read through.
They do look a bit Disco, don't they?
ReplyDeleteWell, I think your average Terry Pratchett reader would be okay. And to be fair most of the stuff that gets explained is relatively obscure and doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the story. So the Benny Hill fans will probably laugh at The Milkman vs. Two Ton Ted From Teddington scene for TWO reasons rather than just the one humorous image of a milk-bottle throwing vigilante.
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