Comic Book Reviews

Comic Book Review: Wrath of the Titans #1 and #2

By Jeff Swindoll Aug 21, 2007, 21:55 GMT

For years, the land of Argos has been at peace thanks to Perseus who has guided the kingdom into a new era of prosperity and good fortune. The news that an heir has been born puts the citizens in a celebratory mood, yet lurking in the shadows are forces of hate and discontent that threaten to wreak havoc on Argos and destroy Perseus. Inspired by Ray Harryhausen\'s beloved masterwork, Clash of the Titans, Wrath of the Titans revisits the magical world of Ancient Greece where gods and myth are part of life\'s everyday fabric and heroes are forged by great and powerful events!

Special effects master Ray Harryhausen has given his blessing to Blue Water Comics to continue on some of the films he’s worked on in comic book form.  Wrath of the Titans continues on the story of Perseus, who is now the ruler of Argos and married to Andromeda. 

She is expecting their first child, but Perseus is called into battle back on his homeland of Seriphos when he gets a psychic signal from his mother that a tyrant has risen to power.  Issue one deals with this storyline and Perseus’ battle with a multi-headed hydra.  The issue ends with Andromeda giving birth to their son, but ends on an ominous note. 

Issue #2 continues the storyline and finds Circe kidnapping the young prince, Hercules joining Perseus in the pursuit, and the three blind oracles sending Perseus on a quest to retrieve the horn of the Cyclops before they’ll gaze into their cauldron and reveal the prince’s whereabouts. 

The storyline is written by Darren G. Davis and Scott Davis and are given the blessing of Ray Harryhausen. 

The issues are well drawn (by penciler Nadir Balan and colorist Joey Campos), though the faces of the characters really don’t try and emulate the actors from the film (at least to my eye).  I can imagine that lawyers would be called in if this were the case (battling a Cyclops is much easier than a legion of lawyers mind you). 

The last section of each issue features a Harryhausen sketchbook section that highlights his sketches from some iconic films.  Issue one also features a sketchbook by Balan of some nasties that Perseus will run into before the series is through. 

I enjoyed the storyline so far and am glad that Harryhausen’s work will continue in comic format.  I’d say this is a must-have if you’re a fan of the master or of the original film.