Review of Beowulf: The Legend

Beowulf is a man who journeys to Denmark to discharge a debt of oath made by his father, to help rid the Danes of the terror of the demon Grendel. It has been adapted for comics.

This edition is a showroom vehicle for the retelling of the classic Old English saga. Andy Lee's zen brush painting brings a roman candle of new life to the ancient story of duty, strength, and love. The zen brush style depiction of norse mythology might seem strange bedfellows, but Andy's art captures great movement in each still panel. The old story gains zest, vibrancy, life.

Scott McCloud said that in the mind comics form iconic representations of the world. Andy's painting demonstrates comics do more than that. His art is a mix of representational and the abstract melding together to acknowledge, not define, the image and impart its movement and theme. In the first chapter, the swirls of paint and wash are dark, chaotic, and hold seige on the characters while the Danes are at the mercy of Grendel. After Beowulf bests Grendel in round one, white space becomes a tool and the pages open up. When the mighty characters clash, the brush lines extend from their bodies into the environment, which bends, flows, and shifts according to the progress of the battle, creating a charged scene.

This art is not comic book representational and its object is not the money shot. Though there is plenty of panel-to-panel within, the brush style could be frustrating for some readers. Where the clarity of action seems muddled, it is instead a moment where the artist made the decision to go abstract. At times individual identities go out the window, and it is only the battle. That which provides fodder for their ceremonial boast, the battle. The only thing that can deliver them to their god, the battle.

It is then for the reader to bring himself to the work. A kung-fu action eye can draw the choreography from Beowulf's final stand in the creatures' underwater lair, or an eye more unsettled by the swirls of asphixiated linework may hurry along, struck dumb by the atmosphere in the oppressive cave.

The writers, Antczak and Bassett, do a good job of adapting Beowulf the poem into this version. The four issues that make up this tpb are well structured and paced. The characters are solid and their motivations, both hidden and expressed, are made clear. The script is ready to carry the job of indentification and explanation through the scenes. Antczak and Bassett find room for their own touches, as in a welcome dash of humor as the warriors descend toward Grendel's lair. One area that needs work is their transitions, as scenes between pages can change abruptly.