Tag Archives: tom durwood

Review: The Caliph’s Gift

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The Caliph's Gift

Michael Crichton was an expert storyteller, a man whose love for stories have far outlived him. One of the stories he is most known for was Jurassic Park. It examined man’s search for ingenuity while clinging to history. Of course, if your education in Crichton started and stopped with that infamous story about Dinosaurs you are seriously missing out on a brilliant mind and storyteller.

Crichton’s fascination with technology found new and innovative ways to stretch into the world. With his book Disclosure he combined technology with gender politics. One of my favorite books of his was 13th Warrior which told of a man whose lust for a woman gets him banished to a different part of the world. It showed us just how similar we all were despite where we came from. In Adventures In The Empire: The Caliph’s Gift we meet two young upstarts looking for a way forward.

We are taken to 1621 Amsterdam, where we meet Mathias, a young clerk whose keen instincts guide a delicate treaty, an act which draws him detractors. It also draws him, surpassing allies, one of them being the Vezier Sokkolu, one whom sees the potential he holds. As Mathias’ ambition outgrows his employer, he strikes out on his own, which only harkens death and betrayal to his feet. By issue’s end, a gift given to him Sokkolu reminds him of the coming storm and the serenity he must glory in now.

Overall, an engrossing debut which is both well developed and wholly character driven. The story by Tom Durwood is encompassing, intelligent, and layered. The art by Well-Bee is luminous and gorgeous. Altogether, a heightened experience of a read that will only elevate the reader.

Story: Tom Durwood Art: Well-Bee
Story: 10 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

Review: The Jade Necklace: Graphic Novel Adaptation of an Original Historical Adventure (Adventures in Empire)

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The Jade Necklace

I remember the first time I read 1001 Arabian Nights, I was all of ten years old. The book gripped with its fleets of fancy, its need to push the limits of storytelling, and the sprinkling of fantastical elements throughout. These stories are most famous for the tale of Aladdin. With the impending live action movie version of the aforementioned, most may not know that it was not the best story from the collection.

The book had a twofold effect on what people thought of that region. Many wondered just how many other legends had not been unearthed from that part of the world. It also inadvertently injected some stereotype into the world’s psyche. Some very damaging for years to come. In the third volume of Tom Durwood’s series, Jade Necklace, a high-flying story finds its wings in Oscar Gregeborn’s illustrations.

We meet a young thief, whose lust for a better life, leads him to steal a jade necklace from a powerful lord, one when a young woman distracts him in the midst of his crime. As a gang of guards attempt to have their way with her, our intrepid protagonist kills them with ease, freeing the young lady. As they study each other, they understood then, that they were kindred spirits, as their tribes had been enslaved by the Mayas and both seek liberty from present bondage.

Overall, quite a page turner that seems like a basic burglar story but becomes something more elaborate as it moves forward. The story by Durwood is smart and action packed. The art by Gregeborn is beautiful and vivid. Altogether, an excellent story that proves that sometimes the best stories are the ones where the least is said.

Story : Tom Durwood Art: Oscar Gregeborn
Story: 10 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

Review: Adventures in Empire: Love Triangle in the High Sierras

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Adventures in Empire: Love Triangle in the High Sierras

There’s something special about something great coming out of chaos. I know for me, I have many different experiences about being in the military. Many of my deployments lead to different parts of the world, some nicer than others. What can be culled from some of my worst experiences are some of my lifelong friendships that came from them.

In the second issue of Adventures In The Empire, we get quite an interesting entanglement in the Love Triangle In The High Sierras.

We are taken to 1871 in the Sierra Madres mountains in California, where we meet Dave Durell, a sheriff’s deputy who has the luck of escorting a young woman, Angela, the daughter of a rich rancher and Cap Preshaw, one of her father’s hired hands and a love interest of Angela.  Just as they thought were able to head up a mountain passage, Dirk McGongle, a rival rancher from the Bar B Ranch, ambush them before they can react. Pinned down Dave and Angela find themselves in the middle of a gunfight, one which leaves both sides discombobulated. By book’s end, not everyone makes it out alive and a few hours in these character’s lives leaves those left alive forever changed.

Overall, an interesting story that pulls from the best of the Western genre and remembers that people fall in love with characters first. The story by Tom Durwood is fun and smart. The art by Boell Oyino is lovely. Altogether, Durwood shows he is not only master storyteller but also understanding that every moment is as important as the complete story.

Story: Tom Durwood Art: Boell Oyino
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy