CALIBER #1
© Radical Comics
Mania Grade: B+
Issue: 1
Authors: Sam Sarkar,Garrie Gastonny
Publisher: Radical Comics
Price: $1.00
Issue: 1
Authors: Sam Sarkar,Garrie Gastonny
Publisher: Radical Comics
Price: $1.00
CALIBER #1
By: Kurt AmackerDate: Wednesday, May 07, 2008
In Radical Comics’ Caliber,Jean Michel lives in two worlds—that of the Nez Pearce Indians and that of the white man. Born of a French father and an Indian mother, he bears a sacred gun destined only for the hands of the Lawbringer—a figure prophesized in a vision, that will selflessly enforce the law for the good of all. Michel believes the Lawbringer to be Capt. Pendergon, an officer in the Army stationed at Telacoma, Oregon. After two brothers at a nearby ranch are killed and their cattle slaughtered, Pendergon tries to prevent a showdown between his unit and the Nez Pearce at the Klamath Reservation. Both Michel and Pendergon know that the Nez Pearce are innocent, but a shadowy, Klu-Klux-Klan-like organization wants to provoke a fight that may leave both sides decimated. The outcome leaves Jean Michel unsure about Pendergon’s role as the Lawbringer, and looks to the officer’s son—Arthur.
If all of this sounds familiar, it seems obvious that writer Sam Sarkar intends to retell the Aurthurian legend in the context of the Old West. Jean Michel clearly acts in Merlin’s role, with the sacred gun as Excalibur, if the miniseries’s title didn’t give that away. The naming of Captain Pendergon and his son, Arthur, should ring familiar as well. And yet, Sarkar doesn’t just coyly replace the elements of Arthurian lore with archetypes from the Old West. The changes are subtle enough that they bring a pleasant surprise to those that catch on, while still telling an engaging story for those unfamiliar. Admittedly, aspects of the story seem slightly forced, but they ultimately make more sense in the Arthurian context. The story reads in a new light with that in mind. To his credit though, Sarkar leaves it to the reader to discover the origin of his story. As such, one can read Caliber as a Western with fantasy elements and still enjoy it.
Artist Garrie Gastonny and the crew at Imaginary Friends Studios have done an amazing job on the art in Caliber. The book looks lovingly painted, though one must assume that there was probably software involved. Regardless, this first issue of the five-issue series looks fantastic. From the grandeur of the woods surrounding Telacoma to the claustrophobic desolation of the reservation, Gastonny and his team have made Caliber a very attractive book.
Caliber works from an Arthurian premise, but avoids simply crossing out the names and replacing them. Its narrative comes off as less—for lack of a better word—epic than one would expect from such a retelling. But, it provides an interesting enough voice in Jean Michel. And, the changes to the story are such that readers will eagerly wonder how Sarkar will recast the legend in the Western setting. This begins a five-issue miniseries, and it only costs a $1.00. Maniacs interested in Arthurian lore or those dying for a quality Western comic—for there aren’t many to begin with—may want to give Caliber a try. It’s not perfect, but it is an unexpected pleasure well worth reading.
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