“You should never meet your heroes”, as they say… but Olympia #1, from Image, is all about that.
In the first issue, a young comic fan, Elon, spends his free time reading comic books. He’s a loner, disappearing from home on his bike and arriving back just in time for bed. We can feel for Elon, who saves his sheckles and quarters to buy his comic books. His favourite reading is about Olympian, an Asgard-Hercules type of hero But one evening, what to his wondering eyes doth appear, but Olympian, hurtling down into the forest like a meteor. And he’s unconscious! And something is following Olympian!
The story, written by Curt Pires and his late father Tony Pires, is a great ‘what if?’
The artwork, both of the ‘comic book world’, and the ‘real’ world of Elon, is really well handled. I like Alex Diotto’s treatment of line and shape. He gives a distinct and definite difference between the two worlds. The panels are composed well, and the drawing is confident. Dee Cunniffe is colourist, and likewise gives us a good separation between the two universes; the yellowed, flat coloured pages of the retro comic world, and bold, fully multihued atmosphere of Elon’s reality.
It’s a quick read and an enjoyable one. Here’s to meeting your heroes between the covers of your favourite new comic!
Image, Olympia #1, #3.99 for 37 pages of content.