The Order of the Forge 3 (June 2015)

The Order of the Forge #3 It’s the end of the Forge, but hopefully there will be more adventures of “tubby” Benjamin Franklin and “dick” Paul Revere and “loyal to the King” George Washington as they fight supernatural evil before the American Revolution.

Gischler has a lot of fun, as usual with the comic, but it’s hard for it not to seem rushed. Reading the first two issues of the series, it felt like it at least needed five parts. Instead, it gets three and the ending of this issue–which plays like The Goonies finale–isn’t enough.

The issue opens abruptly and–besides a kiss between George and his lady friend, who gets so little character development I forgot her name–closes with a bad action sequence. Besides the girl and (tubby) Ben Franklin, Bettin draws everyone about the same. So you’ve got four lookalikes having a fistfight.

It’s still amusing, just way feels abbreviated.

CREDITS

Writer, Victor Gischler; artist, Tazio Bettin; colorists, Bettin and Enrica Eren Angioliniletterer, Nate Piekos; editors, Ian Tucker and Daniel Chabon; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.

The Order of the Forge 2 (May 2015)

The Order of the Forge #2 The Order of the Forge continues to be an unabashedly awesome comic book. Gischler manages to be remarkably restrained–even as he tells the story of George Washington, Paul Revere and Benjamin Franklin like it’s The Avengers or Harry Potter, he manages to be aware of the line between awesome and too much. It’s not a deep comic at all, it’s just an expertly done shallow one.

This issue has the three getting superpowers–Forge is way too amusing and way too great a concept for there to be no movie option hopes, but–once again–Gischler errors on the side of caution. It’s a comic book first, with Bettin’s art very aware of the medium.

And the story’s just good. There are nice complications for all the characters, there’s a good female protagonist and even the biggest Washington fan would never believe he as cool as Gischler writes him.

CREDITS

Writer, Victor Gischler; artist, Tazio Bettin; letterer, Nate Piekos; editors, Ian Tucker and Daniel Chabon; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.

The Order of the Forge 1 (April 2015)

The Order of the Forge #1 There’s really no other way to say it.

Dude, The Order of the Forge is some kind of Star Wars hero’s quest–updated with more modern vernacular and R-rated interests for everyone–starring George Washington, Paul Revere and Ben Franklin.

And, dude, it’s awesome.

Writer Victor Gischler seems to know exactly what he’s got and exactly what he’s doing–historically accurate, full of supernatural mumbo jumbo, father-son issues, friendship issues, Ben Franklin being too busy whoring to discovery electricity–it’s simultaneously reverent to historical figures and full of piss and vinegar.

Piss figuring into the story as well.

And Tazio Bettin’s art is perfect. He handles the proper stuff just fine and he handles the action really well. The historical setting is nice looking when it needs to be and ominous when it needs to be.

It’s awesome. Gischler knows what he’s doing and is enthusiastic about it.

CREDITS

Writer, Victor Gischler; artist, Tazio Bettin; letterer, Nate Piekos; editors, Ian Tucker and Daniel Chabon; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.