posted 09-10-2001 08:22 AM               

Greek mythology has long been a fertile ground for storytellers. The petty conflicts of the gods; the epic battles of demigods, heroes and fantastic creatures; the valiant yet doomed struggles against fate - the stories are told and retold throughout the years, and never seem to lose their power. Award-winning writer/artist Eric Shanower's Age of Bronze series is one of the most recent versions of the epic Trojan War; if A Thousand Ships, the first volume, is any indication, it will be one of the best as well.

Shanower's art is wonderful, clean and easy to follow but still full of detail, from the landscapes and architecture of Ithaca, Troy and other Greek cities to the characters' facial expressions. A Thousand Ships doesn't feature many extended action sequences, as it focuses on Paris' ascendance to the court of Troy, kidnapping of Helen, and the Acheans' mobilization for war; most of the conflict is emotional, as princes and kings jockey for position and make the decisions that move Greece inexorably closer to war. Shanower uses numerous close-ups, silent panels, and 'decompressed' storytelling (in which a particular moment or action spreads across a number of panels) to set the emotional tone.