Action Lab Entertainment 2016
Written, Illustrated & Lettered by Steve Bryant
Coloured by Jim Nelson
Colour Assists by Drew Browne
When her father gains possession of a legendary necklace, Athena Voltaire must save him from both strange assassins and the Nazis, who want the power the artifact could unlock!
Since I read my first Athena story i’ve been hooked and she’s been missing from the market for way too long now so i’m thrilled that she’s with Action Lab! She’s a little Indiana Jones with some Lara Croft thrown in for good measure. She’s an Aviatrix as well so she traverses the world fighting Nazi’s and the occult and has a nice supporting cast around her. She’s one of those characters who you just can’t help but fall for, Steve does a magnificent job with her characterisation and her adventures.
One of the things I like about this issue is that not only is it a great refresher course for those like me who’ve not read her adventures in awhile but it’s also extremely well done for first time readers as well. It’s not alway easy to make the two work in concert like this but Steve manages it extremely well.
Right from the start we get Nazi’s in Hawaii planning something, at this point in time we aren’t privy to that knowledge but suffice it to say it has a fiery start. This gets the adrenaline pumping and we’re off to a banging start. It draws you in nicely by piquing the curiosity. We then switch to Athena and what she’s currently up to. What I like about this is that we see the tail end of her current adventure, none of the lead up just the ending. So we’re getting a great look at her resourcefulness, rapier like wit and Agent Forsyth.
Steve finishes that story and guides us into this one. Let it not be said that Athena can’t go from daredevil to temptress because heaven knows she’s capable of using those feminine wiles of hers. I do like how the entire issue and is geared towards us learning about what her father is up to and how that ties into her and what’s going to happen. Whether she wants to be involved with what’s happening is usually irrelevant as she ends up involved regardless.
Steve’s interiors are nicely done as well. The use of page layouts with their angles and perspective are nice to see. Personally i’d like more backgrounds but that’s me and when you are doing all the chores I know time is tight. Still what he brings us is some very nice attention to detail and the style of clothes, cars and planes that we see are all very true to form. His research into the look and feel of the era shines through his work. Truthfully it wouldn’t hurt to have people dress so dapperly again.
I’m really impressed with this issue, how the story flows the level of interior artwork and the way it grabs the reader’s attention. I like research into the material so that the occult aspects and the Nazi’s seamless fit. It’s got a strong story/premise going on and the pacing is excellent. It’s nice to see once again a woman can be strong, assertive, feminine and carry her own book so extraordinarily well.