The Victorian - Act II: Self Immolation
Posted: Wednesday, July 17, 2002
By: Darren Schroeder
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Jim Baikie, Claude St. Aubin (p), Andrew Pepoy (i) with
assistance from Chris Atkinson, Dan Davis, Mark Heile, Stephanie
Sanderson.
Publisher: Penny Farthing Press
Plot:
A mysterious vigilante known as Big Hat has been fighting
street crime in New Orleans. An ex-professor has taken a job
carrying out research for mysterious man about the origin of an
old forged bank note. He soon finds that this bill has something
to do with a discovery he made several years ago about British
secret society. The police are looking for a girl who is presumed
dead, except she seems to be wondering around town alive and
well. Some Treasury officers are concerned about alterations
being made to current currency, and a bad tempered business man
has stolen a nuclear submarine so he can us its computer...
Comments:
There is an awful lot going on in this book, perhaps too much for
its own good. Not having read the previous volume I might be a
bit behind in trying to figure the plot out, but the mix of
storylines means that everything is happening very very slowly in
the six issues collected in this trade paperback. The different
storylines are broken up into short passages, with a couple of
pages at the most give to anyone storyline at a time. All the
switching can make it hard to keep up with where we are.
Occasionally the jumps between plot lines requires some awkward
narration to keep the reader up to speed, such as London,
England. A number of years ago, later that day. Ouch! I can't
help thinking that collecting the London storyline into one
complete passage might have avoided the need for such a clunky
bit of text.
There is very little in the way of action for readers looking for
adventure. Characters wander around chatting to each other or
writing letters thus swapping information with each other and the
reader. The Big Hat hits a couple of street punks here and
there, but we don't get to see much of the action. Another plot
line involves the recollection of a man from his youth in
Victorian America, with his first love, school experiences and
other such character building episodes. This must be the
Victorian of the title, and perhaps Big Hat earlier in his
life? Who knows! While the large number of characters and plots
means there is much to keep the reader from getting bored, the
pace is slow in this complicated mystery.
Production values for this trade rate highly, with a nice shiny
paper stock and a handsome cover. The change in penciller in the
latter third of the book from Jim Baikie to Claude St. Aubin
changes the look of the book quite dramatically, as does the work
of assistant inkers in the last few chapters. Baikie has quite a
traditional approach to character drawing, while St. Aubin is
more lively. He also pays more attention to the backgrounds, as
well using more energetic layouts which I felt didn't work so
well with the steady tone of the plot. The colorists earn their
money with lots of shadings, mixed tones and any technique
possible to avoid a boring flat area of one color.
Any individual chapter of this book would be almost meaningless
and uneventful. It is only over the course of the six issues that
any even slightly meaningful context can be built up, and it is
only as part of the overall series that this trade can reach its
full potential. As Act One in the proposed five act structure
this is not much use on its own, leaving the reader adrift in the
middle of a rather complex plot. It does however spark the
readers curiosity and presents its goings on in a proficient
manner, suggesting that starting with Act One could be an
enjoyable experience. Just be prepared to wait a while for
clarity.