Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Grant Morrison's 18 Days
Graphic India
Morrison & Kang
Grant Morrison's take on The Mahabharata clocks in at twenty plus pages for a dollar. At this price point you really have nothing to lose by picking this up. This particular issue sets up the coming battle between the Pandavas and Kauravas. It also includes a part of an interview with Morrison that provides some of the background on the story and the inspiration points that led Morrison to taking a shot at this classic Eastern story. This is definitely worth a look.
With the characters and ideas all of Eastern nature this book may seem inaccessible at first glance especially when it begins to involve Gods. However, the back of the comic has a rundown of characters and brief descriptions, which is extremely helpful. The Morrison interview sheds some light on the contents within the comic as well. Reading the back matter first may assist the completely new reader to this story. A reader familiar with The Mahabharata will feel right at home from the first page.
The comic has two parts to the story. The first is a group of characters being informed of how the four seasons of time works and how the third age is coming to a close that culminates with a war.
The second part of the comic is the two sides of the battle as they prepare for the end. Both sides get equal panel time here and a nice reveal ends the book.
This is not a typical Grant Morrison comic book. It feels like an adaptation with his name attached to it. That's fine but for the hardcore Morrison fans out there you might not find that deep subtext you are accustomed to.
The artwork is very good. It has sharp pencils and very bright coloring. Having read several Eastern comic books this definitely has that look to them with the contrasting blue and white coloring scheme set against dark red/maroon backgrounds. The book looks very good.
"18 Days" could very well turn into an epic. This issue really sets up why the two sides are fighting and the moments before the battle begins. Priced at a dollar this comic book is a no-brainer for everyone. The Grant Morrison fans might feel disappointed as this is more of Morrison re-telling a story instead of really putting his stamp on it. This is a recommended comic book.
4 out of 5 Geek Goggles
