That is one creepy eyeball.
The first two issues of ALBION didn’t really click with me. They seemed a little disjointed and the script didn’t have that Alan Moore feel I may have been unfairly anticipating. But I really liked this issue.
This third installment confirms my hunch that ALBION will read much better in TPB than it does in serialized release. Early on I spent too much time wondering if I was supposed to know these characters: did they have some history that lent itself to the plot or were they simply cut from whole clothe, vaguely designed to remind us of no one specific but many in general? Whichever the case (and I still don’t know) there’s finally enough plot and character depth to support the story without concern for whether or how we should know these folks.
Shane Oakley’s art, while at times a bit confusing, works well here, especially his use of angles and shapes. This is a case where the art is actually strengthened by our growing familiarity with the characters and surroundings. And he’s given just enough of a visual twist the various heroes and villains – not that we know which is which yet – to move beyond the standard archetypes.
This book brought about a sense of relief as well. I wanted this series to work out and was a little disappointed in what I read initially. Now I can’t help but wonder how this can wrap up in the three issues remaining. Albion is essentially a discovering Atlantis story and once this odd collection of characters is revealed I can’t imagine the narrative ends, so I figure there’s a second mini already in the planning. Here’s hoping the books continue to get better and better as we go.
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