Seven Soldiers

I am keenly interested in a series of comics published by DC, seven sets of four-issue series with a stand-alone issue at the beginning and at the end, collectively entitled Seven Soldiers. Written by Grant Morrison, this project involves seven obscure DC characters (each one the subject of a four issue series) who find themselves in the middle of a mystical battle for the fate of the world. Each limited series can stand on its own and (so far) there is no meaningful interaction between the seven characters, although common threads are emerging as rewards for the attentive reader.

I direct your attention to this excellent analysis of the books released so far, as well as this site for background detail.

This is serialized story telling at its best. For my money, a comic provides a reading experience that cannot be replicated in other forms: a textual as well as a graphic context which imparts different layers of meaning; ongoing storylines that reward attentive reading; and escapist fantasy that allows the reader to put his brain in neutral and rev the engine for a while. Seven Soldiers provides all of these things and more, in spades.

And for those of you who enjoyed the recent War of the Worlds movie, I heartily recommend the second volume of Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, where heroes of nineteenth century literature take on the Martian tripods in an entertaining twist of the H.G. Wells story. Fair warning: this is a very adult comic, with scenes not suitable for kids.