March Book Club Review

Halcyon

Average Rating : 8.31

Halcyon is the first installment of a potentially longer series which follows a group of superheroes struggling to find their way after an unknown source causes an end to all forms of human violence.

Peace or Freewill?

Halcyon opens with an brief introduction to the major players in the world of heroes and villains. We meet Oculus “would be ruler of the world” as he plans his return from a multi-dimensional hub , Sabre “ the urban vigilante” on his nightly rounds, Zenith “ the worlds greatest superhero” as she smashes her way through a giant robot with ease, and a handful of other heroes who form a Justice League like group who protect the world from harm.

“ Colorful yet predictable and well know staff of superheroes” - Boutet

Early on Sabre discovers that there has been an extreme decrease in both violence and crime , he realizes that something unnatural has been causing human beings to lose their aptitude for violence and sets out to find the cause.

The decrease in crime quickly leads to a stand still in nearly all forms of violence which in turn makes almost all superheroes obsolete. Some like the all powerful Zenith experience a new found freedom as the only dangers now are natural disasters that she lacks the speed to respond to while others struggle to find any sense of purpose in a world that no longer needs them.

“Thought it was fantastic, heroes trying to fit into a world where they are no longer needed. “ - Matt

In the end Sabre’s refusal to accept peace at the cost of freewill leads to both the source of problem and a major showdown between him and his former team mates . Both Sabre and the heroes quickly discover that being close to the source of forced peace frees you from its effects and allows them to fight for the first time since the problem began. Hopelessly outnumbered Sabre fights his way through and discovers the deeper the plot behind it all which sees him transform in the eyes of peers from hero to villain.

“The story was so good the art didn’t matter” - Brad

Artwork

There was a great deal of mixed opinion on the art work. In its favor there was great usage of color and an overall bright look to the art as well as some excellent individual pieces .

“There were a lot of really good shots and a lot of really bad shots” - Remi

On the negative side there seems to have been some disconnect between the artists working on the book which led to an inconsistent level of details, panels with incomplete line work, and a male cast which seem to share slightly varied versions of the same face.

The execution of the art was lazy” - Rick

Summary

There was a pretty even split in opinions on Halcyon. Some of us found it to be a mediocre effort filled with great ideas that were poorly executed while others found it to be a great introduction to what could be a much larger series with a far more expansive universe.

“Entertaining but forgettable” - Jamie

“ I enjoyed it because I didn’t over analyze it” - Scott

Whenever we read a superhero story that doesn’t take place in a pre-established universe there is always the inevitable comparison between the heroes we know and the heroes we meet and Halcyon was no exception. Some of use really enjoyed the character work and others found the worlds most successful villain who wears a full metal mask and rules his own country a little lazy.

There was no disputing that the overall story line was entertaining and although I personally landed on the mediocre side of the discussion the ending was enticing enough that should they continue the series the writing has hooked me and I would have to read it.

“Good concept but poorly executed” - Keenan

“Very economical, they did a lot with very little” - Mathieu

Ratings

Picked the book : Rene - Rating 7.5

“ I really liked the art but all the men look the same”

Harshest Critic: Colin - Rating 5

“ I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it”

Besting Rating: Gabriel - Rating 10

“ It aligns with my preconceptions and feelings for what a good comic is”