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5.0 out of 5 stars
THE MYSTERY DEEPENS!, October 3, 2006
This review is from: Rex Mundi Volume 3: The Lost Kings (v. 3) (Paperback)
The Lost Kings is the third trade paperback collection in this Da Vinci Code-inspired tale of mystery and dark magic. It collects issues 12 - 17 of the regular comic into a 176 page book. Now it's not altogether fair to merely consider Rex Mundi a Da Vinci Code clone. Having read a number of books on the Holy Grail, The Templars, and such subjects, writer Arvid Nelson has clearly drawn upon many of these other sources for his story. He works in the mystery of the Cathars, the Marovingians, the Sacred Female, and many other sources and continues to develop a story packed with sub-plots, fascinating characters, and alternate history.
In this third volume, the Duke of Lorraine has hatched a plot to annex Spain and rejoin the peoples that were once unified. With this merging he hopes to rid Europe of the Mohammedan Race once and for all. But Dr. Julien Sauniere finds evidence that Lorraine's motives may be even more sinister. In a puzzle that takes him throughout Paris to several cathedrals, Sauniere and his accomplice Father Calvet begin to unravel the clues of the true bloodline of Jesus Christ and the full story of his "betrayal" by Judas at the last supper. Could it all have been a ruse for Jesus to escape Roman persecution? The pair's quest takes them deep into the catacombs under Paris where they make a startling discovery. This discovery may well indeed be the true Holy Grail!
But this discovery is nothing compared to what lies in wait for Sauniere when he tracks Duke Lorraine to an out of the way chapel...
As a fan of this type of religious/historical mystery, I've really loved the Rex Mundi series. Clearly Nelson has done his research and incorporated a lot of interesting theories about the Grail, Christ, and the Templars, while infusing it with his own unique ideas. The art by EricJ, Jim De Bartolo, and Juan Ferreyra is uniformly outstanding throughout the book and really seamless. Nelson handles his story with the deft eye of a film director, knowing just how much to reveal at a time to keep readers wanting more.
This is a great series that keeps getting better!
Reviewed by Tim Janson
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5.0 out of 5 stars
TheSpoonFeed's Review, August 19, 2010
This review is from: Rex Mundi Volume 3: The Lost Kings (v. 3) (Paperback)
If you took a giant black cauldron, heated up some water to a hard boil, threw in Vincent Price, Rod Serling, and Dan Brown, and added a dash of Alfred Hitchcock, you might only be scratching the surface of Rex Mundi. Made up of two volumes, Rex Mundi created by Arvid Nelson, Eric Johnson, and Jeremy Cox, follows the story of Dr. Julien Sauniere and the theft of a mysterious scroll from his friend, Father Gerard Marin. I know this is going to sound like a big leap here, but the theft of the scroll is but the first in a series of events that sends Sauniere on a quest for...The Holy Grail.
No, I'm not kidding, and yes, any mention of The Holy Grail immediately conjures up images of British knights frolicking through the countryside on imaginary horses; but Rex Mundi is far more than it seems, and every issue presents a gut-wrenching twist and turn that leaves you speechless. If I could sum up Rex Mundi into three words, they would be: details, DETAILS, DEETTTAAIILLLSSS. Everything from the art, to the color, to the ink, to the story, to the dialogue, is there anything I left out? Rex Mundi is BEAUTIFUL, and each element of the books serve to compliment the others.
The artistic details that make up each characters facial features, or physical gestures and mannerisms, outwardly depict a sense of emotional depth -- and emotional depth there is! Rex Mundi features an over-the-top plot, but manages to build its plot on top of very realistic dialogue, and very realistic characters. Perhaps the ghoulish looking monks are not "realistic" but their close-minded and blind commitment to the fundamentalism of their faith is something far too familiar in this day and age. Rex Mundi ties anchors to your feet and sinks you deeply into its setting by giving the reader an eye of what's going on, as if you are a participant in the events that unfold. There are even fictional newspaper inserts that make way for even more visceral experience.
The artistic direction of EricJ is truly unique -- each page presents something you would be hard-pressed to have seen before, especially when it comes to Rex Mundi`s color-depth. It could not function as a black-and-white comic; the dark red blood, the deep blacks, and the pale whites -- each provides a necessary element to the environment and personality of the series.
Rex Mundi, though sometimes overreaching, serves as far more than a fictionalized historical comic. It also serves as an apt social commentary on religious fundamentalism, political controversy, sexism, and modern-day anti-Semitism. Though the volumes differ greatly in artistic style, each volume contains its own aesthetic appeal. I prefer the Image Comics volume (volume one) because I found the Dark Horse volume to be a little bit...cartoonish? Either way, Rex Mundi is a must-have comic, and it will keep you enthralled from start to finish. I reccommend purchasing each issue if you can find them; though the collected volumes are great, I preferred reading each issue in an episodic fashion.
Check it out!
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