HighlanderHighlander
Review by: Brian Hofacker
(From the editor: I have known Brian Hofacker for the last couple of years, through emails and the internet. I have been lucky enough to see some of his other reviews on the Dynamite website and now have been very lucky to be able to use one of them here. I hope this will not be the last one we get from him. It is obvious that he is passionate about his work, and that he writes very well. It goes without saying, I hate him. lol Welcome aboard, Brian. Like I said, send more review! I hope everyone else likes his stuff as much as I do.)
In 1986, the feature film Highlander captured the astonishment of moviegoers with a relatively original, self-contained tale of Immortals walking the earth for thousands of years and battling in an age-old Game for an ultimate Prize. The movie focused primarily on the protagonist Connor MacLeod, an Immortal from the 16th century Scottish Highlands, combating the villainous Kurgan in the modern day of 1985 New York City. In addition to an overall exciting concept that used a series of flashbacks and historical references to establish a back-story and explain the characters' relationships to one another, Highlander also contained an underlying them focused on the psychological effects of Immortality.
Since the film's debut, the adventures of the Connor MacLeod and the Immortals have been revitalized time and again in movie sequels, novels, televisions series, cartoons, video games and more. Unfortunately, the diversity of these mediums allowed for many continuity breaks and inconsistencies in the lore and legend of the Immortals. Highlander fans, fortunately, are quite forgiving and seem to only need a good amount of mysticism, sword-play and decapitations to accept the franchise in its many forms.
The new Highlander comic book series from Dynamite Entertainment is the latest revitalization of the franchise, and in spite of all the various incarnations and contradictions, writers Brandon Jerwa and Michael Avon Oeming have managed to devise an opening story arc that is solid enough to be considered a better direct connection to the original movie than any other source. Dynamite's Highlander comic book series easily conveys the very essence of the Highlander movie by utilizing a fine formula of traditional elements and original concepts.
Dynamite's first Highlander storyline, running from issue #0 through issue # 4, follows closely after the events of the first Highlander movie, and like its cinematic predecessor features the Immortal Highlander, Connor MacLeod, and other Immortals battling for the "Prize" in their age-old Game. Furthermore, whereas the movie dealt with the more "private" side of the Immortals' Game, the comic series is demonstrative of the influence the Immortals have had on political and historical events such as the Cold War and the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. The plot of comic series primarily revolves the discovery that the villainous Kurgan was once a participant in a Cold War scheme to create an army of Russian Super Soldiers. Given their ties to the Kurgan, as well as understanding the danger posed to the world, Connor MacLeod and a handful of other Immortals take it upon themselves to investigate the return of these Russian Super Soldiers and finally bring the savage legacy of the Kurgan to an end. The Super Soldiers, on the other hand, have struck out with vicious acts of terrorism and espionage in order to fulfill the legacy of the Kurgan-- destroying the Immortals and taking their place on Earth as the dominate species.
Considering Michael Avon Oeming's writing credits on titles such as Powers, Thor and Red Sonja, as well as Brandon Jerwa's work on G.I. Joe and Battlestar Galactica: Zarek, the coupling of these two writers on a book with the limitless proportions of Highlander guarantees readers a precise blend of action and intrigue. The story moves quickly to develop a situation that promises to have worldwide effects and wastes little time recounting what readers already know. The writers have obviously researched all the Highlander source material and are utilizing the concepts that work best to keep the comic series relevant to the original movie, yet innovative and slightly in touch with the other mediums to eventually tie the whole franchise together.
The villain for Highlander is a prime example of the innovativeness of the series. The first storyline brings Connor back to Europe to face a menace from his past known as the Temnotiye, a group of Russian Super Solder's created during the Cold War using the Kurgan's Immortal genetics. The idea can seem a bit contrived at first and even a step away from the usual Highlander scenario, but the basis behind the Temnotiye ingeniously opens up some insight to background of the Kurgan and reveals how the Immortals have impacted the world. Additionally, through the Temnotiye's devotion to the Kurgan, it becomes apparent that the outcome of the Game may have dire consequences on the safety of mankind; this is an interesting device that adds a new amount of peril to the first movie
Keeping with Highlander tradition, Jerwa and Oeming have riddled the comic series with enthralling flashbacks complete with cliffhanger endings, key story elements and foreshadowing. The flashbacks are substantial enough to be a story on their own; however they stay relevant to the overall plot and never become confusing or overpowering. By the third issue, the reader has enough information to fully understand the hazard the world faces, as well as a few interesting artifacts that will have them looking forward to future Highlander stories.
The art of Highlander should also be credited. The covers by Dave Doorman, Tony Harris and some others are of the usual outstanding caliber that the talents are known for, and the interior art from Lee Moder consists of easily recognizable characters, incredibly lifelike backgrounds and fluid action scenes. Lee Moder's art is easily acceptable as the way Highlander should appear in comic books. Additionally, special credit should be paid to the colors of Highlander. Backgrounds with streetlights and snowstorms appear amazingly realistic, as if actually glowing.
Overall, Dynamite's Highlander has turned out to be a substantial comic book series and well deserving of the Highlander name. The nature of the book is reminiscent of the original movie, as well as an action packed read for any fan of espionage stories or sword swinging drama.