Athena Voltaire: The Terror in Tibetby Barb Lien-CooperReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk.
Publisher
Credits Grade: 8 This review covers the Athena Voltaire: The Terror in Tibet storyline. This story arc was previously published on adventurestrips.com, which closed shop right around the time I became aware of said comic. However, Athena Voltraire has found a new home at Moderntales.com, which is a subscription webcomic where subscriptions allow unlimited access to archives of all the strips, with additional subscriber-only features. Modern Tales is also the parent site to Serializer, Girlamatic, and Graphicsmash.Back when I was first talking to Modern Tales Magus Joey Manley about my comic Gun Street Girl, he suggested I get the art team from Athena Voltaire to do my series' art. I looked at the strip and drooled. Art like this series has no longer exists in the wild. The work hits your eyes and pulls you into the series without fail. Short of The Ultimates and Rex Mundi, I've rarely seen such beautiful art. While the art team of Athena Voltaire were too busy to take on Gun Street Girl, the art work made a fan of me anyway. Fortunately for me, I got an art team that was able to put my gritty GSG visions on the Graphic Smash web page the way I imagined them. But, just like my comic is dependent on the creative vision of my art team, so is Athena Voltaire dependent on its art. Oh, the writing's great and all. But, I just can't imagine this work without that gorgeous art. As to what it's all about. Well, imagine Golden Age Wonder Woman meets one of those classic adventure strips of the 1930s like Little Orphan Annie or the classic radio shows of said era such as The Shadow or I Love a Mystery. Usually, I don't like mere replications of eras past. However, Athena Voltaire has the look and the patter down so beautifully, as well as having its own voice and a good sense of pacing and plotting, that this nod to adventures past is more than okay in my book. I've heard female readers complain a lot about female heroines being mostly for male titillation in print comics. To them, I say, come to web comics, where the female characters are strong, smart, brave, and beautiful. Come see Arcana Jayne (by Tart's own Lisa Jonte), come see Kismet (by Tart's own Layla Lawlor), check out my very own Gun Street Girl. And save room for the dessert that is Athena Voltaire. This baby isn't cheap cheesecake. Instead, it's tres leches cake! The excellent combination of art, color, and writing makes Athena Voltaire a delicious taste sensation. The next time your friends diss web comics compared to the paper tiger of print comics, tell 'em to read an afternoon's worth of Athena Voltaire. Few comics in the medium of print can stand against its art (not to mention its writing). Forget Promethea. Athena Voltaire has got it all going on. Written: January 12, 2004
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