Still on the Shelf #30

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Still on the Shelf #30 - Brath

CrossGen Month Part 3(of 5)

In what could not be any better timed for my analysis of CrossGen, the publisher has announced what titles will be cancelled prior to the arrival of The War next spring. Crux, The First, Meridian, Mystic, The Path, Ruse, Scion, Sigil, and Solus will all say goodbye as CrossGen takes the logical next step in their evolution.

Reaction to this announcement, of course, is mixed. Fans of CrossGen seem pretty evenly divided. Some are no less than outraged that, with rare exceptions, every Sigil-related title CrossGen puts out has been shelved. Expected cries that CrossGen will “alienate its existing fan-base” have already started. Others are responding much more levelheaded, and are giving CrossGen the benefit of the doubt. Curiously enough, I find that people with no previous interest in CrossGen are somewhat intrigued by the recent turn of events. With any luck, this will translate into a new pool of potential readers for a publisher which could really use it at this point. I, for one, am not sure what the detractors expect at this point. The publisher is in a troubled time right now- this is not in doubt. Of course no one wants to see their favorite title cancelled, but if cuts need to be made to support the company as a whole, I can’t see opposing that. The sheer volume of cancellations indicates to me that deep cuts needed to be made in the short term. I would much rather see the company healthy, and see my favorite title return one day than have it continue on with cheaper and less talented creators, and see the publisher run itself into the ground.

Some of CrossGen’s choices did pique my interest however. Mystic has been cancelled- if you recall I wrote two weeks ago that I felt this was a title that could survive The War. Of course that would require a serious bit of restructuring, and perhaps CrossGen felt that it was best to set this concept aside for the time being. After all, no one ever said that we would not see a Mystic Volume 2 sometime in the future, or something resembling it.

Sojourn and Negation, two titles with concepts I had pegged for finite runs, are remaining. Sojourn is not so surprising, as that title remains popular, and has a ways to go before any final battle with Mordath must take place. The only potential problem I see is Mordath himself. If rumors are to be believed, The War will eliminate the Sigil from CrossGen’s body of works entirely. If that is the case, Sojourn’s main villain (absolutely essential to the story) is undead, brought back to life by the power of the Sigil. If that were removed, it is tough to say how exactly Edginton, or whoever is at the helm of Sojourn when that time comes) will handle it.

Negation’s stay, however, is a surprise. Arguably, Negation is CrossGen’s most popular title at the moment, so it is not hard to understand why Crossgen would want to keep it. However, the entire concept of the book seems to hinge on the Negation’s preparations for The War. Once that is over, the whole purpose for Negation goes up in smoke. CrossGen knows this, however, and has promised a radical new direction for the title. Again, this one is a wait and see.

Brath, also remaining, is a relatively new title for CrossGen, and one that began with its lead character as a Sigil bearer. The Sigil played little part in the story, and it was dropped in issue 3. Even though it read as a little indecisive by the writers to grant a Sigil, do little with it, and have it taken away so quickly during the run of the title- in light of the recent shake-up, it was the right decision. Brath lost nothing when the Sigil was removed, and it seems to have given the title a stay of execution for the time being.

Brath takes place in a world whose events parallel Earth during the rise of the Roman Empire. The Empire in this title has reached the northern shores of the Europe counterpart, and has just begun the invasion of Ureland of the Irisium Isles, the conterpart of the British Isles.

Cast of Characters

The Hammer of Ure, Brath MacGaren, called Bradmanacus by the enemy, is the War Chief of Clan Garen. He has dreams akin to visions, which give him some insight into the actions of his enemy. In many of his dreams he is guided by a god, which takes the form of a stag. In one of these early dreams, this stag-god grants him a Sigil, though the Sigil is removed a few short issues later. This did not affect the truth in his dreams, which continued to guide him to victory in battle after battle. Due to his abilities, he was chosen to lead the united free-clans or Ureland, which consisted mainly of the Mac Garen and the treacherous Mac Dool. Brath is married to Tanielle, a warrior in her own right, and together they have a son named Bryllin. Bryllin is a typical boy who wants nothing more than to join his father in battle. Other Garens include R’horan, Brath’s cousin and brother-in-arms, and Buckie and Der, two young men just old enough for battle.

S’math is a magical holy-man who advises Brath. Cinntra, an opposite to S’math in many ways, also practices magical arts, but believes in a much older rite which is based in blood. Though Brath has greater trust in his Holy Man S’math, it is Cinnatra’s predictions that have proven to be more accurate. The solutions she sees to those problems, however, are greatly distasteful to Brath and the rest of the clan, as they involve blood sacrifice. The victim she has in mind for said sacrifice is one of the crucial plot points in this title.

The enemies of the clan are from across the sea. This Empire resembles the early Roman Empire on Earth, just as the Urelanders resemble the clans of Ireland and Scotland of the time. It is ruled by the Emperor Quintillius Arurelius Galba Rex, who in many ways resemble the fat, slothful Roman Emperors from popular period films. His nephew, Priscus, first in line for the throne, despises his Uncle’s lack of honor and appreciation for the glory of battle. General Vala is in charge of the Legions seeking to conquer the Ureland. He is a general in the best tradition- he shies from the pomp and ceremony of the city and makes him home on the barracks of the battlefield. He revels in victory, and will take it in any way it is given to him.

Thoughts

This title has been compared to Braveheart, though that is not a comparison I feel is very apt. While it is true that Braveheart was about the struggles of the Scots against the imperial English, the only real similarity between this title and Braveheart is the setting. The plot of Brath parallels the Roman invasion of the British Isles, not Scotland’s war of revolution against the British. I know that seems to be a nitpicky point, but the differences go much deeper than that. Braveheart was centered on William Wallace’s rage against the British for the murder of his wife- the war was only a byproduct of that event. While Brath may someday go down that road, its focus today is something else entirely.

At first, Brath seemed to be on uncertain ground. The Sigil was introduced right off the bat with little ceremony, but nothing really came of it. No plot centered on Brath's Sigil was introduced, and Brath did not seem to benefit at all from the power of the Sigil. The Sigil was removed in issue three by a goddess (who was never seen before, and never seen since), and aside from a single panel of angst over the loss; Brath did not seem to miss the Sigil at all.

While this indecisiveness made for a rocky start, Brath has settled down, and has been progressing very nicely over the last couple of issues. It seems that the Sigil was really an unnecessary addition to this title, and considering the upcoming Sigil-related housecleaning at CrossGen, it was for the better that this concept was removed from the title.

Bottom Line

In anything, Brath demonstrates that a title from the “Sigil-verse” can survive once the Sigils are removed. I still believe that such an extreme change is not really necessary- but the mark has become something of a stima in the comic industry today which new readers will avoid like the plague. That is unfortunate (I don’t see the same reaction to Marvel books, where every new hero is a mutant of some kind nowadays- virtually the same thing) and somewhat unfair, but from a business perspective, it is necessary to adapt to the climate of the day.

Brath is a great piece of historical fiction. It is still a young title for CrossGen, and it shows a great deal of promise. Anyone interested in early Scotch-Irish or Roman history will be intrigued by this title. I, for one, am really looking forward to the gladiator aspect to the plot, which should become a larger focus in the upcoming arc.

Fans of the movies Spartacus, Braveheart, and Gladiator will love this book, and to those people in particular I highly recommend it. For everyone else, the title is still very much worth a look. For a sample of what Brath has to offer, check out the Brath #8 (available this Wednesday, October 22nd) Preview available on this website, or the Brath Prequel, available on CrossGen's Comics on the Web in its entirety. For those willing to pay for the subscription, issues through #5 are currently available.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to join me next week for the finale to CrossGen Month!

Credit where credit is due-
Brath is
Written by- Chuck Dixon
Pencilled by- Andrea DiVito
Inked by – Roland Paris
and Colored by – Rob Schwager

All characters, titles, and etc. are owned and © their respective publishers and creators- the author and StillontheShelf.com makes no claim towards them. This column is intended as a review only. Please, report any broken links!

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