Τετάρτη 13 Ιουνίου 2012

What Aitheron Thinks about Stuff-Poison Elves

This review is brought to you by Dimitris Morakeas

Poison Elves Or The obscure comic book that should have been made mandatory


I, LUSIPHUR/Poison Elves
  
Hi!

Here I am on my first review and it’s about one of the Comics I like the most.

Let’s dig in, shall we?

Poison Elves is a comic written and drawn by Drew Hayes. The first seven issues were published under the title I, Lusiphur.



It follows the life and works of the most misanthropic, homicidal, pessimistic, nearly batshit insane comic character I have ever met (and I have met Garth Ennis’ Punisher).

Pictured: Not a pocketful of Sunshine. Also, beer.


We meet him as he (after a weeks-long off screen trek) exits a swamp and gets captured by a wizard who requires his eye as a component in a demon summoning spell. Then, somehow, things get even worse; he gets addicted to a poison, gets assaulted by a misogynistic superhero (the world’s only superhero to be exact), finds himself threatened by an old associate of his, gets himself a murderous psychotic lover and all this in just 7 glorious issues.



It’s obviously not your fault, Lusifur. It’s everyone else’s.

The artwork gets considerably better with issue. The story may seem unfocused at first, but you’ll have no real trouble following it. The best part for me though is the when we first get to meet Paritachin, one of the most awesome characters in the series. 



Creating chicks in ones mind to please his sexual needs...
wait a minute does that count as masturbation?


The real fun of course doesn’t start before you get to issue 11. It’s the point where the story suddenly becomes immensely interesting with the artwork following suit. At this point, we are introduced to a plethora of new and interesting characters, while getting a chance to know about both the series’ setting and a part of its history.

One of the new characters is Hyena. Lusiphus first (and possibly only) wife (currently ex) which also happens to be a powerful sorcerer. She’s also the gothicest chick I’ve ever laid eyes on.


Then again she could be Emo... damn kids and their trends!

Another insanely interesting character character is the Tenth. One of the most powerful mages in the world, who also takes an interest in the bundle of toruble that is the elf  Lusiphur Malache.

Probably the most important of the newly introduced characters is Jace Sarn Lanargaith, Lusiphur’s best friend and his exact opposite in more ways than one.

Jace is an elf ex-soldier with a good sense of justice and morality; he seeks to escape his past and considers Lusiphur the perfect companion for that cause. Also during the course of their journeys, we realize how much more alike they are than we originally thought.

I mean look at them! Almost the same person.



In the history part we learn about the elves and their shared enmity with the Trolls, the biggest, strongest motherfuckers in the world. Keep this in mind, as it will become a plot point.

Then, we get to dive into the special kind of madness that is the second volume.

One of the things I like the most in this comic is the unique way it chooses to portray the elves:
 They’re bloody, greedy bastards with all the worst (and best) human characteristics and weaknesses but different in all the important ways.

I also like the witty exchanges between characters (what can I say, I am a sucker for good dialog).

In an attempt to avoid spoilers that would ruin your experience of reading this series, I’ll have to cut my review short right about here.

In summation, Poison Elves is a must read comic.

My only complaint is that its author died before he could finish it (at the age of 37, no less) before he had a chance to turn the comic book world on its head.




By-Line: Morakeas Dimitris was born in a parallel reality, where the nightmarish vision of George Orwell’s 1984 is a reality. After escaping on a trans-universal vessel of his own design, he decided to study accounting and try his hand at writing short stories and internet reviews. You can read more of his work at his Mixed Stories blog, here:

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