Mr. Singleton: PROPHECY’s Devil Is Not In the Details

Okay, I have hesitated long enough, I mean there is only so much “putting it off” a guy can do.

Honestly, I had no idea what Prophecy was going to be about. I actually judged a book by its cover. Vlad Vampire, Red Sonja and a dead Vampirella…seriously? Yep, seriously.

So we find some time traveling to the very present day. No time for catch up, with the exception of Red Sonja. Vlad and Vampirella seem to be getting along, even Pantha is here to join in on the “we’re all happy to see each other here” action. I can understand seeing each character in a series under other acquaintanceship, but here I just can’t see it. This is the anti-Avengers or even the anti-Justice League. A reluctant team of heroes chasing down the one evil being bringing them together.

This is where  Kulan Gath shows up. I am not surprised to see the almighty sorcerer here, nope not one bit. Heck I wouldn’t be surprised if Conan showed up on the next page talking about fighting off giant snakes and taking a maiden from the next village and making her his queen.

But that isn’t the best part, oh no. Trust me I haven’t spoiled anything for you here, that is just the beginning of the story. If it were a movie, all of this would be in the previews. Miramax might even have the rights to the movie. Why not? It would make for a great horrible movie that I would probably watch at 3am when I’m having yet another “why did I eat that pizza so late tonight” nights.

So, we have a special appearance from a key character from Army of Darkness. And unlike the pairings of other characters this one actually makes sense here. Now I am interested. This one slight move into the right direction has put me back on the path of actually giving a darn about what is about to happen and why.

I know that 2012 is a HUGE year for the Apocalypse. I am tired of seeing and hearing how the Mayans created a calendar that ended in December of this year.  What if the Mayans ran out of something to write on? I mean, it wasn’t like they could just run down to Walmart and find another giant rock to work with and chip out a calendar that spans hundreds of years. But then again, what if the Mayans are right and this is the end of days for us all? Kinda makes you stop and think, or maybe it is just me.  One of these days we’ll all find out.

Back to the book.

Again I have to separate all possibilities of reality when I read a series, whether I like the subject or not. Whether I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that even in the fifth realm of space and time that this story could never happen. I must take an objective look at what is happening, what the writer might be intending with the story and joining these particular characters together. There is a common bond here, a metamorphosis of character relationships that will tie it all together in a nice package that is waiting last on Christmas Day to be opened.

Staying to true to the individual series that each character hails from, there isn’t a break in the development or plot that would make me say “hey, hold on, they wouldn’t do that in their own series!”. I can appreciate that aspect of this series for that, I have respect for the writing that is taking place here. As most of the modern era heroes or even villains have to start as a guest in an individual series, I could see the plausible scenario where these characters would come together now that I have finished this book.

So we are introduced to some familiar characters, if you have already read Red Sonja, Vampirella and Army of Darkness. Trust me, once you see this mysterious character that I referenced you will go “Oh, that’s what that goofball on SciFi4Me was talking about”. But if you have not read these stories or have seen the films, then you have no idea what I am talking about and this will all be new to you. Don’t worry, it is covered. You don’t have to no a single bit of anyone in particulars background to just jump into the series.

The writing is good, the plot is somewhat disappointing but anyone can understand it. In fact, even if you have been living under a rock for the past 10 years you’ll still understand it. The references made to the past are handled quite well with the flashback scenarios from Red Sonja. I would expect that in the future books in this series that there are a few of these from each character. You cannot bring all of these beings into one series and not do a little explaining about each individuals past. Heck, when you’re out with a large group of people one of the first topics that comes up is “where are you from?”

You cannot expect less of a Comic Book series. Probably one of the hardest things to do is start a story each time with the knowledge that this might be a readers first time to pick up one of your books in a particular series and not know who the characters are and not know anything about their past. You only have a couple of pages to get their attention before they move onto something else. This is why I could never write a series, I have ADHD to the highest level…oh look a bird.

The writing is good, the artwork is dark and top notch as always. Walter Geovani does not let us down here. In fact I would have to give a shout out to the entire crew on this series, Ron Marz, Adriano Lucas, Troy Peteri, Paul Renaud and again to Walter Geovani. I may not like the story line in particular but I can appreciate some hard work and attention to detail that this group of individuals have come together to create.