The Order of Dagonet is a new independent comic from Firetower Studios. The Revolution is trying to give a bit more attention to comic books from various small presses rather than just focusing on Marvel, DC and Image. The grading of this issue will not be on a curve just because it is a small press title. We will use the same grading system as we do for high profile comic books from the big two.
A quick glance tells me that The Order of Dagonet is targeting the Vertigo crowd. You can check out the blog for The Order of Dragonet here. Let us see how issue looks.
Creative Team
Writer: Jeremy Whitley
Artist: Jason Strutz
Story Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 4 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 4.5 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: The story opens with an argument in Parliament. A sex scandal has caused infighting to occur. Meanwhile, the Queen is preparing to attend a play at the Globe theatre.
In Epping Forest, the public is upset over the construction of a momument to David Beckham. Much of the forest will be cut down. The construction crew says that the forest never created any jobs. Beckham has helped to create jobs. The boss orders them to take down a tree. When the tree is removed a hole is ripped in the fabric of reality. Titania, queen of the Faerie, has returned to claim Briton.
Oberon crashes Parliament. He announces that he is the new king and Parliament is dissolved.
At the Globe…Puck interrupts the play. He rips the head off of one of the actors. As they try to get Queen Elizabeth out of the theatre, one of the Faerie appears and takes her.
In America…rock star Dizzy Claiborne is preparing to take the stage. He is complaining about Americans. His agent tells him that even though he might be a knight in England, America has helped make him wealthy. He passes out on the stage.
Gene Everyman walks into a Narnes and Bobles bookstore. The person working the desk tells him that the British author is running late for the book signing. He says he can’t complain because the boy wizard series that Gene writes has made them a lot of money.
At a movie filming… Sir Tottington is confused with the movie adaptation he is working on.
Tottington, Claiborne and Everyman are transported to another realm. The only thing they have in common is they were all knighted by the Queen. Merlin appears and tells them they are England’s greatest hope. The Faerie are causing havoc and they must stop them. Merlin will return them to their regular lives. If they need to get in touch, they can contact him through their dreams.
Commentary
The Good: Strutz has put together a very eye-catching cover. The mix of the 3 knights, Titania and Oberon, the tree that prevented the Faerie from invading our world, and the tower are a strong image. This cover will definitely stand out on the shelf.
The page design at the beginning is creative. I liked the way the creators used the radio waves to break up the various images that set the stage for the story.
The dialogue between the construction workers was natural and well done. It is normal that they would be focused on the creation of jobs.
The basic storyline for this title was original and interesting. Most knights today are actors and musicians. It could be a bad time for England if this story happened and those knights are the only hope.
The Bad: Characters’ faces changed from panel to panel. The artist needs to be more consistent. This led to some confusion as to who the characters were. He drew a fairly decent Queen Elizabeth then turned around and did some very cartoony work on the removal of the tree and Merlin’s appearance.
In some ways Strutz’s art reminds me of early Matt Wagner. Wagner learned how to be consistent and became a better artist. Hopefully, Strutz will continue to improve.
Fans need to have a basic understanding of who Titania and Oberon are. Without that understanding the reader will be confused.
Overall: An okay first effort by Whitley and Strutz. They certainly show some potential. If this creative team is able to learn from each issue they produce then The Order of Dagonet could become an interesting series. Give this title a try if you enjoy something different than the usual comic book fare offered up by Marvel and DC.
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Jim