5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A MAGNIFICENT ACHIEVEMENT IN COMICS, January 2, 2007
Rex Mundi is one of the best comic book series going today. A rich thriller in the mode of the Da Vinci code, yet set against a backdrop of an alternate history during 1930's Europe where the Catholic Church dominates the affairs in a battle with Muslim heretics for control of the world. It is within the shadowy world of secret sects, government plots, and religious conspiracies that Doctor Julien Sauniere (Sauniere was also the murdered curator in the Da Vinci code as well as an early 20th century French priest) is visited late one night by Father Marin, an old friend. He seeks Sauniere's help because an ancient scroll has been stolen from the Church's vaults...a scroll linked to the Merovingians, a royal bloodline of France, written in the 13th century. No one knows that the scroll has been stolen, except for a young prostitute befriended by the priest. The priest suspect sorcery was used to steal the scroll from the locked vault.
Soon after, both the priest and the prostitute are murdered and Sauniere finds himself under the gaze of the powerful catholic "police" the robbed and masked inquisition who want Sauniere to stop nosing around. Meanwhile, political intrigue is afoot as the sinister Duke of Lorraine is seeking to consolidate his power base to launch a modern day crusade at the advancing tide of Islam, and once again reclaim the Holy Land. Sauniere's former flame Dr. Tournon is now personal doctor to the Duke who sends her to see Sauniere to find out just what he knows about the recent theft of the scroll.
This thriller takes place through the bright streets and the dank catacombs of Paris. While some make look at it as a mere offspring of Dan Brown's mega-bestseller, writer Arvid Nelson has taken the story beyond mere religious thriller by mixing in the alternate history and making it a political thriller as well. There are several sides pulling at Sauniere including the church, Duke Lorraine, and a mysterious assassin in white. Nelson has effectively created a Da Vinci Code with a broader brush and loftier goals.
As rich as the story is, the art of Eric J. is ever richer...stunning even. Eric's work has a unique, cinematic quality to it. The angle of his panels are laid out with the keen eye of a movie director and you almost feel like you are watching a film rather than reading a graphic novel. You can almost feel the damp clamminess as Sauniere traverses Paris' underbelly. Equally notable is the colorist Jeromy Cox. Color is something you tend to overlook until you see something truly exceptional, and Cox is exceptional. Is blending of colors and textures is as important to the book as Nelson's story or Eric J's art. It perfectly complements the setting.
Rex Mundi is a true achievement in comics. If you haven't been reading this outstanding series, now is your chance to read it from the beginning. My highest recommendation!
Reviewed by Tim Janson
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The good, the bad, the uh-oh, May 29, 2007
The story itself was fine, and it closely resembles Da Vinci Code, which they explain in the introduction.
The product itself fell apart after one reading. the pages are falling everywhere and the spine is entirely detached.... in about a week of having it. This was supposed to be new....So I'm not quite sure what happened.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
cool art / lousy binding, August 1, 2007
I really enjoyed the art and the story, but the pages fell out as I turned them and whole sections levitated themselves from the spine. Re-gluing was only partially successful.
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