Ellium: Sword of the Dragon

(Genome, 2005)
™ and © Genome

Anyone who’s ever read a book or seen a movie knows the story of The One: you know, the story of the unlikely hero selected to be the champion of whatever and overcome some overpowering evil. It’s a staple of literature, commonly used in such well–regarded works as Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Highlander, etc. Ellium, or (as the cover seems to read) Enium, certainly borrows from these works. Boy, does it. There are magic swords and mean–talking characters, but there’s little substance. Jason Moser and Dave Reynolds do a fair job of copying the style but not the spirit. There’s no sense of the extraordinary heroism that defines such tales. Their story of The One is, well, just Another One. Belying the attractive cover, Moser’s interior art is stiff, more evocative of the work of a Photoshop whiz who pastes his own image on a postcard of The Eiffel Tower than true illustration. It’s a shame, really; this book’s lengthy story but affordable price show commitment on Moser’s part, but the contents won’t instill any on the part of the reader.

— Jim Johnson

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