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| Last Updated: Jun 14, 2008 - 9:44:13 AM |
I wrote a review of Ezra Claytan Daniels'
The Changers Books 1 and 2 for the late, lamented magazine,
The Comics Interpreter that never made the cut. Although I've since reviewed the books for the Bin and also interview Daniels, I decided that I didn't want the long-winded missives version of my review to
not see the light of day. Thus,
Mr. Charlie #54 proudly presents it:
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| The author in question... Mr. Daniels |
THE CHANGERS BOOK 1: EVOLUTION IS OUR RIGHT
THE CHANGERS BOOK 2: OUR OBLIGATION TO THE FUTURE
By Ezra Clayton Daniels
DREAM CHOCLOLATE CONFECTIONS
$8.95 ea.
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| Book 1 |
An ambitious young cartoonist who self-publishes not one but two graphic novels in a year is impressive. One who tackles complicated moral and ethical issues in the milieu of science fiction earns my full attention.
Ezra Clayton Daniels’ THE CHANGERS is a two-graphic novel set that tells the unsettling tale of two time travelers sent from the future to change evolution by their very physical presence in the present time. Three million years in the future, humanity suddenly decides that the human race has reached its evolutionary apex. Figuring that humans can no longer evolve, they decide that perhaps they should give their former selves (ostensibly us) another opportunity to evolve differently.
They send two future humans (Bisso and Gaeza) back in time. Each one has a “catalyst” within his body that when realized will trigger a leap in human evolution away from what is to become to something else. The suddenly relatively simple mission takes an unexpected turn when the two time travelers meet a mutated visitor from the very future Bisso and Gaeza altered by being in “our” present.
While the first book establishes the concept and story, the second book dives completely into a multitude of philosophical issues. Bisso and Gaeza are at odds about the success of their mission, especially when they learn what place their human descendants have in the future animal kingdom/ecosphere they altered/created. That altered future troubles Gaeza, and their visitor’s (whom they name “Oscar”) health starts to decline. Oscar also begins to revert to a feral self, which furthers the philosophical divide between Bisso and Gaeza over their mission.
What’s most impressive about Daniels is the way he juggles so many ideas, he deftly manages to not only make them part of the story, but also a part of the characters. Many times, even the best comic book writers have an uncanny knack for divorcing their characters from the ideas that the writers seek to inject into their books. The characters, especially in mainstream superhero comics, are divested of what makes them interesting in order to make them mere stick figures in the writer’s quest to show how smart or how well read he is.
Daniels builds his story, characters, and ideas together from the ground up, so Bisso and Gaeza aren’t playing with science; they are living it. The story revolves around the two, other wise all the ideas would be nothing but dull science.
Technically, Daniels is a strong cartoonist; illustratively, his style isn’t the prettiest, but pretty doesn’t count here. His style is a personal matter. It has no real impact on the graphic narrative, nor is it a selling tool as style often is in the Direct Market mainstream.
His art improves as the story progresses, and one cannot help but appreciate what a strong storyteller Daniels is. Nothing is wasted; it’s efficient and imaginative. Daniels also shows the ability to create long narratives similar to the kind Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez introduced to American comics starting with LOVE AND ROCKETS or Dave Sim in CEREBUS, in which even an entire graphic novel is only one part of an ongoing larger story.
The Changers books have made Daniels a talent to watch, and both books certainly belong on the shelves of all of us who keep crying for better comics and diversity in American graphic storytelling. This is one of the few times a cartoonist has tackled hard science in way usually left to novelists, and is worth noting.
Both books are highly recommended and available from the publisher (www.dream-chocolate.com) for $8.95.
Related Articles:
Ezra Claytan Daniels' THE CHANGERS
Interview with Ezra Claytan Daniels
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