Find David's Mighty Men Here
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Davids Mighty Men
written/artwork
by Javier Saltares
fantastic artwork + original plotlne = complete success
One man armed with nothing but a single spear against 800 men, and he single-handedly kills them all. Another man killing his enemies with his sword until he can hardly stand, yet he never gives up his sword and wins a great victory. A third man standing alone against an enemy army after his own men have fled, refuses to give up and ends up defeating them all. Sound like the latest series of movies starring The Rock? Maybe, but all of this really happened.
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They're barely mentioned in the Bible (in 2 Samuel 23), but they were incredible. They worked in the service of King David and make even the exploits of Aragorn and Legolas seem weak. They were Shammah, Eleazar, and Adino, the three chief warriors of David's Mighty Men.
Community Comics and Alias Enterprises have teamed up to bring a new comic that really deserves a read. This light-hearted tale may stretch the Scriptures just a little, but the story itself stays relevant and reverent at the same time. There are actually two stories in this "Goliath Sized Edition." The first is a sort of "origin story" with King David reflecting back on his first meeting with each and their first battle together. The second is a slightly different tale of how the men negotiate a war between two tribes -- with Shammah coming from one and Adino coming from the other.
The artwork here is amazing thanks to Marvel, Dark Horse, and DC Comics artist Javier Saltares, whose work you might recognize from earlier Ghost Rider, Spider-Man, or Alien vs. Predator comics. This comic book looks as professional as any recent X-Men comic out there. Javier takes the time to make his characters look real -- the fight scenes are amazing -- and the dialogue he gives them (he actually wrote both stories) gives a fun, human side to the characters we barely see in the Bible (the prophet Samuel is particularly fun).
There is a website under construction for the series, so I hope this means we'll be seeing more from this heroic trio in the near future. Alias has put out another winner with this one. If you're ready for a fun adventure with incredible action, don't miss this one.
Review by Brian Reaves
Copyright 2005 ©Infuze Magazine
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It was not too long ago that I could have stated that the story of King David is known by all, but unfortunately our culture's knowledge of the stories of its past is not what it used to be, so a quick summary might not be amiss. The nation of Israel, after 400 years of decentralized rule, asks for a king. The prophet Samuel anoints Saul of the tribe of Benjamin, according to God's command. Saul soon turns out to be far from the ideal king and Samuel, again following the Lord's command, finds the shepherd boy David. David is anointed as the next king of Israel and then spends the next few decades fleeing from Saul even though he has no intention of dethroning Saul, content to wait until Saul's passing to take over the throne. Upon Saul's death, David takes the throne and unites and expands the kingdom of Israel, preparing the nation for its glory days in the hands of his son Solomon.
Comic creator Royden Lepp is retelling the story of David in his new series, David: The Shepherd's Song. In the first issue, we meet the young David as he faces a lion that is threatening his sheep. While he's doing this, the prophet Samuel has approached Jesse, David's father, and asked him to gather all his sons for a sacrifice. Of course, all the older brothers are brought, but no one thinks of the inconsequential David, who's merely a shepherd and not a warrior or a person of any bother.
The story for this first issue is truly that simple, but Lepp's capable treatment makes it something that even those who are overly familiar with the story will find it gripping. To begin with, Lepp's art combines the best of manga's cartoonishness with an unfinished edge (on most pages, you can still see the pencil lines for laying out the frames). David is presented as almost a stick figure with a large head, whereas his brothers, father, and Samuel are all drawn more realistically, creating a wonderful contrast. The art is offset by a striking use of an almost exclusively grey and brown palette of colors, giving a Sepia-tone feel to the story.
The telling of the story is masterfully done. Lepp eschews the use of narrational transition boxes, shifting from storyline to storyline smoothly. The David-and-the-lion story is told without a single word or sound caption, yet Lepp still tells a very noisy story for all its silence. The panels featuring David's fight are spacious and broad, giving a scene of his loneliness. In contrast, the Samuel storyline is full of narration, giving the sense that Jesse and his sons are nowhere near as secure in their persons as David is. (This is further emphasized by Samuel speaking few words throughout the story.) In contrast to the spacious landscape of rural Israel, the town of Bethlehem feels crowded and one's sense of self is reduced.
As a way of introducing his title character, Lepp's method could not be much improved. He has taken an old familiar story and breathed new life into it, making it a story for our time while remaining faithful to the original story. And, most important to the telling of a story, he has made it enjoyable. I look forward to more issues of David: The Shepherd's Song.
Review by Matt Winslow
Copyright 2005 ©Infuze Magazine
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