| Title | : | Artesia Volume 1 |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 193238622X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781932386226 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 192 |
| Publication | : | First published September 1, 1999 |
Artesia Volume 1 Reviews
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I expect a medieval dark feminine heroic fantasy (is there really that kind of subgenre?) of a killer body (pun intended) female main character just by looking the cover. What I didn't expect was, the story was more epic than I expected. The art is good, and the world building is better than my expectation.
Of course it was about Artesia, the main protagonist, and other characters paled before her. Maybe that's the problem, the Artesia was too strong, (at least for volume one) there was no worthy opponent for her. Artesia reminded me with Conan, but Artesia was very successful compared to Conan. In short, she is a Mary Stu in heroic fantasy. She has warrior weapon mastery, priestess divine power, and general military skill.
I am struggling between 2 or 3 star. I might changed my rating from time to time. -
The art in this book is really detailed, and the world and premise start out to be really interesting. The series tanks pretty quickly, though. However, it's a beautiful start to a fantasy comic and there aren't really that many good ones out there. I would suggest reading this only if you can pull out before the later books, knowing you won't be getting any resolution to the plot that's set up. I think after about volume three there hasn't been much activity anyway - if this is still an ongoing series it's one that only comes out with a new issue about once in a blue moon.
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Artesia is an epic, Eisner-award nominated masterpiece of story and art. The world, its people and its pantheon are so richly detailed, but as the title says, this story is about Artesia. What an incredible character she is, embodying all aspects of the female, from priestess to warrior to daughter to sister to concubine and eventually, reluctantly, queen. As both concubine, priestess and captain to the king, Artesia begins the story obviously wielding a lot of power and influence. Even the gods have touched her and those that follow her do so out of the purest respect. She may seem too perfect, which is exactly why certain people want to see her brought down. But the conflict they bring is only part of her struggle. The inner journey that she takes as she struggles to accept all that is thrown at her, and more importantly, all that is expected of her, whether she wants it or not, is beautifully depicted in word and images.
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(NOTE: It appears this series has been long abandoned, without any kind of resolution.)
I can see the appeal. Artesia is mesmerizing.
Unfortunately, the conquest between nations wasn't presented in a way that engaged me. This is a problem since this is heavily a military story. What did interest me were the religious aspects: the triple-goddess vs the triple-god, the crow harbingers and spirits, the prophecies and portents.
The rep made me pretty happy, and deserves a mention. I loved the mix of men and women in the armed forces. I especially loved the sensuality depicted, both the spiritual ecstacy with the spirits, and the heartfelt affection among Artesia's bedfellows.
The art is beautiful, but not diverse enough to easily tell the differences in the characters, male or female.
I think I'm ok stopping here, maybe browsing a wiki summary to see if Artesia ends up conquering and/or destroying the whole world.
***
(Mid-reading review)
Ok, I totally couldn't tell from the cover - the girl has NO PANTS! Armor, sure, but armor over what now? LOL Please tell me she's not also wearing high heels down there! (ANSWER: Below her ridiculously bare thighs, she was indeed wearing sensible boots. Yay!) -
This book gave me a mixed impression. On the one hand, there are so few comics in true fantasy settings (really, apart from Conan / Red Sonja and ElfQuest, there are no major fantasy comic books, and the rest few are indi comics like this one - there are tons of fantsy books, but virtually no fantasy comic books around - quite a puzzle to me), that this one is worth reading just because of that fact (assuming you like fantasy), and that was the reason I decided to read it. On the other hand, it was a difficult read and I didn't have pleasure reading it as I do from other comic books. I think the comics wasn't the right format for the story Mark Smile wanted to tell. You can't give as much information to a reader as you want in a comic due to certain imitations of the format, and Artesia seriously lacks the descriptive background of what is happening. It is like a story taken from the middle of a book and represented as a comics, and everything a reader would have known from such hypothetical book is left behind. So there are lots of dialogs you don't understand, lots of fighting for something you don't know, and a whole pantheon of gods you've never heard of (actually there is an appendix to this book, explaining the gods and some other things, but it wasn't interesting to read that after the book was finished). I think a textual prologue and text inclusions after each chapter (like in Watchmen for instance) could have made this comic more entertaining and engaging.
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AMazing art! My favorite character of all time. I truly hope this becomes a series of movies! This is adult content! Artesia is very faithful to her path, an amazing priestess, queen, and witch! Artesia worships her Gods with her body with passion and pride!
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This graphic novel is a master piece of blood, spirits, and intrigue. Beautiful artwork supports the story flawlessly.
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3 stars for story. 5 stars for stunning art!
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(FOR THE WHOLE SERIES)
Although this first volume is somewhat "abrupt", since it takes you directly within the setting without giving you any clue about it, the story keeps improving and getting clearer throughout the whole series. The art is really impresive and the setting is deep and attractive. Artesia, the main character, is wonderful: sorceress, leader, lover but, among all, a WARRIOR.
However, I have to complain about a couple of things, too: (1) I don't know if that's deliberate, but all characters have the same face, they only differ in their hair/beard/moustache; (2) the high number os secondary characters and the complexity of the setting make it a hard reading.
P.D. There is a tabletop RPG based in that setting -
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog
http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
I tried hard to get into this but the writing and storyline are dense - I just wasn't getting any enjoyment out of it at all. And therein was likely the problem - it felt either pretentious or more like an overindulgent male fantasy. I'm all for female empowerment - and certainly the women in the book know how to make the best of their situations in a world of men. But right at the first four pages, when our protagonist is wearing a chain mail bikini, the author/artist lost all my respect. Chausses are NOT garter belts.
As previous reviewers have noted, there is a LOT of graphic 'fan service' in here. Yes, Artesia is liberted - we get it. Certainly we don't need 6 pages of group sex to make the point. But hey, at least the dialog finally abated a bit then.
Honestly, a story can be more effective with restraint. Both in the lumbering endless dialogs and in the very busy art panels. Artesia just feels like it is trying to hard to be high brow and original. -
Não curti. A história é densa demais e nos é apresentada de modo vago. Fiquei perdido com a menção de dezenas de deuses e lugares logo no começo, enquanto a protagonista luta, conversa com espíritos e arma intrigas das quais eu não faço a menor ideia de que se tratam. Não sei quais são seus objetivos ou suas motivações.
Esse é o mal de histórias com glossário -- é quase certo ser bombardeado com um monte de termos desconhecidos e precisar interromper a leitura para checar esse apêndice. Não funciona pra mim. -
The artwork is visually appealing, but the story is poorly-written. I was also severely annoyed by the fact that all the soldiers had full armor except our busty heroine, who was wearing a chain mail bikini bottom.
Sorry, one star is all you're getting for this one. -
Meh...I just do not feel a strong attraction to this story-line. The art is beautiful and really pushes the story to a visually pleasing state. But the writing was too much for me. Perhaps this changes with the rest of the series. Not really sure if I'm going to spend the time finding out.
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This book is not for young readers. One might argue that the nudity is enough to restrict their access to it, but more than that is the sheer complexity and brutality of the universe. This looks like the first book of a saga in a world that feels alive with conflict, religion, camaradery and betrayal.
The gods are very real in this universe and they must be appeased with sacrifice and intimate communion. War is still the best tool to sieze power and a force rising in the south will likely plunge the world into a bloody conflict.
Artesia is a skilled captain of the Higlands and a feared sorceress who has a close relationship with several guardian spirits. She is the king's mistress, but the king plans to get rid of her for fear of her seizing all his power and his kingdom for herself.
The souls of the dead are valued greatly by the spirits and remaining on the earth is the most feared curse.
Artesia meets her brother who brings news of a conqueror of the Thessids and his plans to reunite by force an old empire that spanned the whole world. -
Artesia is an ambitious, detailed, nuanced and gorgeously illustrated dark fantasy epic that almost seems to ask, what if Joan of Arc was up in Scotland and really did practice witchcraft? The early establishing chapters are wonderfully done, with layers upon layers of character and world-building added on, never giving us the full details and making our imaginations fill in the rest. About halfway through, though, we're hit with an extended section of map-touring and exposition, and the story never really recovers. It's exciting to see Artesia's rise to power, knowing there must surely be some price to pay in later volumes. But one wishes that the perfection of the first half of this volume had maintained itself all the way to the end.
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I wanted to like this book. The art's terrific, even if I sometimes found the characters a little stiff. Some of the relationships are compelling, such as Artesia and her "sisters."
But, overall, I think you need to be much more into role-playing games to truly get into Artesia. I had trouble keeping track of the various city-states and characters and goddesses, plus the often-shifting loyalties, none of which was helped by Smylie's tendency to draw men with beards as much too similar in appearance.
Too many people have recommended Artesia to me for me to completely trash it, but it's not my thing. -
This was a freebie from a comic book store. I have to say I did not finish. It was just WAY too white male gaze. Like the main character was a badass military leader but she didn't wear a helmet so you could see her hair and while she wore plate mail on her top half she had a chain metal bikini underneath! Like seriously! Also she seemed to be the only Black person in the comic, darker skin, curly hair, and yet she had the tiniest pert Michael Jackson post all the plastic surgery nose ever.
The story was LOTs of fighting. But it wasn't clear who was fighting or why. There was no substance to it, just names of countries and rulers. Nothing to draw you in. Definitely not for me. -
Brilliant. I was recommended by Comicbookgirl19 for Game of Thrones fans, and yes, she's right. If you like fantasy, a well-crafted, detailed world, lots of (unfortunately often kind of indistinguishable) characters, a rich story and a badass heroine, you should pick this one up (it's available as a pdf). The artwork is stunning. I don't read graphic novels, but I loved this one. Artesia is the quintessential badass female lead: a general of a vast army, a conqueror, a concubine, a priestess/ witch... It contains marvellous battle scenes, violence and sex scenes, so... it's not for kids.
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Artesia is a perfect companion piece for the table top game Adventurer Conqueror King. A great example of a low fantasy setting that deals with small scale warfare. I also love the way our lead speaks / Interacts with the gods of the land. She might be out protagonist, but she's well aware of her mortal limits.
On a side note, I really wanted to rate Artesia vol. 1 5 stars...* I just hand out too many stars. 😎
*I stopped mid sentence and changed my rating to 5 -
It takes itself very seriously, like no character has ever heard of irony or a sense of humor. Rather, all statements are either bold pronouncements, or "intrigue".
I'm sure this is great, but it really didn't do it for me. -
Epic story clearly belonging to the grimdark subgenre. Also, military, medieval fantasy. With strong elements of erotica.
Great story, impressive world-building, conservative, but excellent art. Shakespearean language and intrigue.
Still, I have to admit - the first time I got it into my hands, I couldn't get past a few first pages. Why? Well, chain-mail bikini syndrome. My firm belief is that a woman on a quasi-medieval fantasy battlefield needs her armour to cover as much of her body as possible. Even the visually attractive parts. Sigh ;) So, say, if a stunning female was to don a Gothic style plate armour, she'd take care to cover all the important parts of her anatomy. Artesia didn't and I was sure that it's not the kind of serious fantasy comic I was looking for. But since that time I've read some very positive reviews and went back. And wow. It was definitely worth my time.
Still - not safe for work, or a room under age relative might wander into. Or your mother. Or anyone who wouldn't understand that you only read it for the art, storytelling and maybe appreciation of women empowerment. I'm not sure this much group sex had to be involved in said empowerment, though.
Heh, so not a five star thing. Why four stars and all the enthusiasm?
Because all the rest is great. It's a dark, sophisticated story set in a rich, diverse world. Medieval in its technology and culture, with strong elements of fantasy. It takes longer to read than your average graphic novel - without reading all the appendices that explain history, geography and religion of the world you can't understand the story.
Story that is heavily based on European history. We have to main conflicts, feudal monarchies vs a sorcerous empire and "paganism" (strongly but not exclusively Celtic in character) vs "Christianity". It sounds stereotypical, but the execution is very original, especially for a graphic novel. The author put enormous effort into research and it pays off.
Artesia is a warrior queen, a priestess and a whore. Betrayed, she fights back to unite her people and then march to war against the mightiest empire of the world, in alliance with people whose hatred of a pagan warrior queen only temporarily gave way to dread of their imperial invaders.
And so we witness epic battles and sieges, brotherhood of soldiers, virtues of knighthood, realistic medieval tactics, vile rituals, powerful spells, court politics. And group sex, more group sex than necessary. I think that it's author's way not only to attract adolescent readers, but also contrast fun-loving pagan protagonists with their grim, puritanical enemies. I believe it was overdone.
But if you're an adult looking for a visually stunning fantasy epic - read "Artesia", you won't be disappointed. -
For maybe the one or two people who actually read my reviews, you may have noticed Im in a bit of a renaissance concerning all things sword and sorcery, fantasy art, films, books; I've even done some half serious shopping for a broadsword to play with and hang on my wall.
So Artesia has been an unexpected treat, introduced to me by ComicbookGirl19 on youtube. This is not your typical comic. Mark Smylie the creator draws, writes and water colors the whole thing himself, and in my opinion it is a joy to the eyes. He has created an incredibly complex world (too complex I might say; very difficult to keep up with all the sorcery and religions and multiple characters with strange names). Because I will read and view this a few times i'll catch up, and enjoy my re reading that much more as I familiarize myself with this setting.
But it lays out like film with huge cinematic shots, in your face portraits and everything in between. His style of art stands out, very original with a detail not attempted by most comic book artists. He illustrates the most intricate, detailed armor, in an endless variety of types and styles. His vistas and huge shots of battle fields take on a more abstract look, though detailed in a way that shows every soldier and column. There are some full page, close in battle scenes that are just mind blowing in their scope and detail. And thats just the art, given its own unique flavor by the addition of watercolors.
The story of Artesia grabbed me immediately, a former kings concubine, risen to captaincy of an elite troop of warriors, she is a warrior, sorcerous witch, unquestioned leader, pagan and promiscuous, and perhaps cursed. This is not for the prudish. Artesia takes multiple partners, sometimes at the same time, as she worships a goddess of sex and pleasure among the many she claims. I was compelled to mention sex first as a filter for some (such is our culture), but the violence and portrayal of it here is as brutal as it gets. Artesia is complex as she seems to love warfare and combat, but is not insensitive to the tragedy and repercussions. It is an ongoing theme of conflict in her inner monologue, one that she sometimes voices in a sarcastic and ironic manner.
The digital versions of this comic are found on comiXology. I devoured them, slowing down to savor the last two chapters of the third volume. If this is your cup of tea, and you're not adverse to depictions of sex and violence, then I highly recommend this series. Simply awesome. -
Very enjoyable and cool to see women in positions of power without entirely doing away with gender roles and the attitudes that come from that. I wish the main heroine was not *quite* so all-powerful but perhaps that is addressed in future installments. Art and world building are excellent so far. It would have really helped to have a bit more history/context before plunging into the thick of things. I found the descriptions of the pantheon at the back of the graphic novel to be helpful but the use of multiple names made even that only somewhat useful. I imagine I'll get into the swing of all the names soon, it just feels compressed due to the limited word space in a comic vs regular book.
It feels like what Game of Thrones should have been but wasn't because George RR Martin can't write a female character. Looking forward to reading the next ones! -
I would give the art 5 stars, the dialogue only 2 - if you're not Shakespeare, don't try to sound like him - there is no lyrical quality or any wit whatsoever in the spoken words.
But what bugs me most is the constant use of unknown names and places and deities - I don't like to be forced to use the appendix to understand what the hell they're talking about. So I refused to look up any word until after I was done and still don't get the references to all these Gods.
Storywise, there's not much to tell. A battle, a betrayal, some visions, another battle, end of volume 1. Still don't have any idea who Artesia is, what makes her tick, what she wants. The other characters are even more underdevelopped and have merely functions, but no story of themselves.
But then again, I really dig the art, so I'll continue reading. -
Ack. Forgot to write a comment about the first volume of Artesia. Friggin' beautiful graphic novel. If you are familiar with Joseph Campbell's works about heroes and myth, you will enjoy how Smylie's heroine develops.
This is how I recommed reading his work. First, read the story straight through, enjoying the tale and the gorgeous art. Second, study the appendices to fill in the gaps about the world Smylie created; it is incredibly detailed. Finally, read the story once more; your understanding of plot will be much richer for it. -
I have had these books on my shelf for almost a decade. The art is gorgeous. The story has its merits, but the fantasy epic does not well translate into graphic novel form. One benefit of the visual form is a ready map when the world is being discussed. Gods and spirits can be shown in a real visceral way. But the story begins with too much complexity in use of names and places and armies, and though this becomes clearer as one keeps reading, a new reader can easily be lost and give up, despite the gorgeous art. Book one ends powerfully, and I am moving on to Book Two.
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Great art and a good story; all the hacking, slashing, spells and demonic forces you could ask for in a swords&sorcery (picture) book. I've been meaning to pick up this title for years and when I found it on sale I couldn't resist; I'm glad I didn't. A bit confusing with all the references to times and Gods past, but worth a read, regardless (for those who favor comics).
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Good world design and nice detail for a fantasy comic, which are normally light on that sort of thing. Story looks interesting but progresses a bit slowly. I was turned off by the dialogue, which is in a very high-fantasy more-medieval-than-thou dialect that sounds a bit stilted to me; it's possible to do that sort of thing right, but a lot harder then it seems.
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An entertaining high fantasy following Artesia, a concubine, priestess, witch and war-captain. The art is very detailed, meticulous when it comes to weapons and armour and vividly gruesome in scenes of battle. The world seems large and interesting, though we only see a small corner of it in this volume. Dialogue is a little wooden at times, very portentous and bordering on faux-Shakespeare.
