Thunderbolt Jaxon

Thunderbolt Jaxon 

By Dave Gibbons & John Higgins (WildStorm)
ISBN 1-84576-491-9

This intriguing revival of one of the more outré strip heroes of British Comics sees a bunch of kids dig up some pre-Christian relics in a church-yard only to find themselves embroiled in the long-postponed last battle of Ragnarok.

Blending ancient feuds, warring religions, bad parenting and criminal-gang rivalry, this wonderful, moody romp zips along as any origin tale should, feeling more like an Alan Garner tale (and why hasn’t anybody ever adapted any of his splendid stories to graphic form?) than a regular comic. The beautiful art of John Higgins weaves its own spell to enthral, perfectly suiting the tripped down, terse script from Dave Gibbons.

This is possibly the best of the Anglo-American refits to emerge from the teaming of DC and IPC, a good solid piece of fantastic eye-candy that should win some new fans for an old brand.

© 2006, 2007 IPC Media Limited & DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.