SCION #36

Wedding bells are gonna chime

By Arnold T. Blumberg     June 27, 2003

It's too late for poor Ethan. He was hoping to stop the marriage of his sister Ylena to evil Prince Bron of the Raven dynasty. Their father, Heron King Dane, planned the wedding as a strategic alliance in the face of an enemy that threatened both kingdoms, but let's face it, who wants Bron as a brother-in-law? Yech.

Still, when issue #36 begins, it's the sight of King Bron and Queen Ylena that greets Ethan and the readers. Resplendent in their fine raiments, Bron is aglow with triumph, while Ylena just looks like she wants to lay down somewhere. It's tough to be a pawn in your father's game of political chess. And to top it off, she has to go to bed with that slime.

Dark days indeed as SCION continues its Arthur-esque saga of young heroes, sleazy villains, and glowing swords. OK, add a bit of STAR WARS to the mix then, but it's still very high-and-mighty fantasy with plenty of swordplay and good vs. evil. CrossGen does what CrossGen does and they do it well. Their production values are top-notch, some of their titles have begun to find their own voices instead of wallowing in paint-by-the-numbers storytelling, and the creative teams are clearly enjoying themselves. While I would still pick SOJOURN and RUSE as the two CrossGen titles I could enjoy month after month, SCION has all the elements needed to make it solid entertainment for your moolah.

As Ethan struggles to understand why his father would allow such an unholy union, a dark secret is about to be revealed. Soon Ethan will have all his answers, but he may not like them. And what will he do when he learns the true identity of the person behind this horrible chain of events? Hint: it's time to bury the hatchet with brother Kai and go kick some ass!

If you're looking for light summer fare that offers plenty of flashing blades and pretentious pronouncements like "We must set matters aright so that our kingdom is prepared," look no further than THOR.

Or SCION,, that's good too.

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