Sigil: Out of Time

Sigil

by Mike Carey (Writer), Barbara Randall Kesel, Chuck Dixon

In the war for forever, time is only an obstacle. Warriors jump from century to century, their battlefi elds span all of history but have led them to a stalemate. But now a 16 year old girl from present-day South Carolina will turn the tide. The symbol on her chest makes her part of this war, but will she save us or damn all of creation? New York Times best-selling scribe Mike Carey (Age of X, The Unwritten) and Leonard Kirk (New Mutants) begin the next great comic epic.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Time Travel, Pirates, Magic, Science Fiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published March 8, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.

Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.

Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.

Reviews

[Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely think this could have benefitted from having a few more issues [even 2 more would have been good although I would LOVE to see a whole series based on this] because everything moved very quickly and I would have liked to have some more time for our heroine to build up her powers and learn about them, but it's a cool concept and a really fun read. Definitely something I would recommend to people who like Carey's longer series and are looking for more things by him.

[K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: violence, blood, death, death of a parent (in the past).

So I loved the concept of a teenage dealing with the discovery that she can time travel and that it's up to her to save the day but also she's trying desperately not to flunk history class. But while I liked the story and I really liked Sam as a protagonist, the art was...odd. The teenage characters all looked like they were in their 40s, and the panels often felt quite...flat??

Add in some very simplistic dialogue and I liked this but that's as far as my enjoyment went.

[Cisz Geverink - Strasters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh... niet super slecht, maar ook niet echt mijn ding.

[Nicole (bookwyrm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read some of the CrossGen comics when they were new, so I was interested to see what Marvel did with the CrossGen titles they acquired. (I know I read Scion and Ruse, plus others, but can't remember all of the titles I read.)

As far as Sigil is concerned, it's fine. Amusing plot, but nothing spectacular. The art isn't consistent, and I'm not a fan of the way a lot of the facial expressions turned out. The covers are my favorite parts, which is a shame because there's a lot of potential here.

[Kris Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam's life isn't the best. Her mom's dead. Her grades are slipping. She has some psycho bullies on her tail for supposedly stealing the leader's boy toy. In the middle of dealing with all of that, she is pulled into the past. Turns out that her birthmark has some powers attached to it and man she can use them. She finds out that her mother was a soldier and her killer is pursuing the pirates that want her help. What's a girl to do?

[Daiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently my taste varies from classics to comics (or graphic novels) still kind of new object to me. But I'm interested to read more now.

[Shannon McGee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam is dealing with the loss of her mother and failing high school. She probably does not need the problems that come next which including time jumps, pirate ships, and magic powers from a birthmark.

This a reboot of a sort. This comic story first belonged to CrossGen which was a comic publishing company that created various stories for different worlds with the goal of connecting their stories in the end. Later CrossGen was bought by Disney which had Marvel. Marvel tried to rewrite (just a little) and restart the comics hoping for interest. I had the pleasure of having read the original comics from CrossGen. I loved every series that came from them, including Sigil. This Sigil story is just a little different but it has been so long I am not sure how different. I enjoyed this again very “girl power” and reminds me of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

I wished I had saved the original comics now that Marvel has rights. Out of all the stories from CrossGen to start out with I am not sure Sigil was the strongest. There was Soujorn and Magick…I believe those were the names. Even though this comic is from 2011 I still hold hope I will see more of the story again.

I enjoy graphic novels and enjoy most of Mike Carey’s stuff. Sigil is action-packed and charged with exciting magic.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a big fan. Bad pirate speak and teenagers who don't look like teenagers. I'm trying to get into graphic novels and comic but this one was not for me.

[Fizzgig76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reprints Sigil (Marvel) #1-4 (May 2011-August 2011). Samantha Rey has lost her mother and now is struggling in school. The targets of bullies, Sam finds herself suddenly whisked to a world of pirates. Sam learns that her mother was part of a war and the strange birthmark she inherited from her mother gives her powers. The search is on for a buried treasure, and Sam is facing off on the man who is responsible for her mother’s death. Sam finds herself part of a war she never planned for…and she still has to make-up that test she failed back on Earth.

Written by Mike Carey and illustrated by Leonard Kirk and Pat Olliffe, Sigil: Out of Time was one of Marvel’s first attempts to bring the cancelled CrossGen line of comics out of retirement.

I actually rather liked the CrossGen series of comics, but I felt that Sigil was one of the worst titles of the bunch. Here, Carey blends the Sigil story with different aspects of the CrossGen line of comics…and for the most part it works.

Both Sigil and Ruse got the “reboot” from Marvel. While Ruse remained unchanged, Sigil transformed the character. The previous Samandahl Rey was a man in a futuristic space opera. Here she’s a teenage girl trapped in an inter-dimensional battle. The common theme between the original version and the relaunch version is the sigil which Sam inherited from her mother in this comic.

The original Sigil (and other CrossGen comics) had the sigils given to them by the gods known as the First. It is unclear in this if volume of Sigil if there is a higher power guiding the sigils. The series also combines aspects of the cancelled CrossGen series El Cazador (which was about pirates) and Meridian which was about a free spirited girl who could fly using her sigil. I would have preferred a Meridian relaunch, but this works in its place.

Sigil isn’t a bad book but with such a limited run, it is hard to get a feel for the characters. The art by Leonard Kirk is strong, and the series boasted some nice covers. I normally like shorter stories, but four issues was just too few issues to introduce a whole new character and a whole new world. As of yet, we haven’t returned to the world of Sigil, but another CrossGen title was released after Sigil in a revival of Mystic.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was happy to learn that Marvel had bought up (or rescued) the CrossGen comics titles. I had only read a few of their titles but I liked them since the stories went beyond superheroes. I had enjoyed Ruse, Scion, Sojourn and Mystic. The first was a Victorian mystery with a hint of magic and the last three were almost medieval in feel where magic was prevalent. I never read Sigil which I believe was CrossGen's science fiction/futuristic title. I think this version is actually a revisioning of Meridian, which was also about a young girl who has the sigil and comes into her power only to become a target of a power mad villain. (I never read Meridian either I am afraid).

The story was good but a bit formulaic. Young heroine does not realize her mother was "other" and gets dragged to another world where she discovers she has powers. From there she must find an artifact that could destroy worlds if its falls into the wrong hand. Heroine bulks at this, wants to go home, realizes the new friends she made are in danger and resolves TO FIGHT! Heroine wins by kicking butt and then is whisked home where with her new forceful attitude she stands up to the bullies. End.

Like I said...not a bad story if you like a familiar formula.

[Ria · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good thing this series opener wasn't super-mega-fantastic, as it appears that no more will follow. Even still, this is a bit of a shame as the premise is great and holds a lot of promise. Despite the classic comic grrrrl covers boasting curves and tough-gal action poses, the artwork inside was charming and Sam was drawn like a regular 16 year old girl, which was refreshing. My only major gripes were that not much time was devoted to Sam getting used to her powers and the bad guy wasn't as threatening as he should have been, given his history with Sam's family. However I had fun and would be keen to read more comics of this ilk.

[Sean · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was a huge fan of the Crossgen Universe. I love Mike Carey. I have always enjoyed Leonard Kirk. This book should have been a slam dunk. Instead, to keep the same analogy theme, a missed lay-up. Not sure whose idea it was to throw in as many Crossgen easter eggs as possible while literally having nothing to do with the orginal concept, other than a logo. Definitely a bad decision. The dialogue was insanely bad. No matter the time period, script was so cliched and embarrassingly simple. The pirate speak was debilitating. The art wasn't bad but not up to par for the task at hand. The ending teases more and I hope it doesn't happen. This was a giant misstep.

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam has had a hard time getting her life back together since her mom passed away. She's almost back on track except for these weird dreams; then she starts jumping through time and learning that her mother jumped through time as well. There is a war going on and not everyone is in agreement regarding where the world stands.

Definitely another intro book but I can't wait to see where it's going. Sam is clearly something special even among the time travelers. I also want to find out more about her mother and more about the organization.

[Michel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samantha Rey is 16, en kan plots blijkbaar door de tijd reizen. Mooi getekend, herkenbare situaties (enfin ja), piraten, wat science fiction, beetje Buffy-achtige dinges hier en daar: iets voor schoolkinderen.

Ik vond het ook wel wijs hoor, maar ik zou niet uit mijn weg gaan om het te kopen.

Tenzij dit meer blijkt te zijn dan een scholierenserie, en ze de hele Sigilverse heropstarten, natuurlijk. Ha!

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A flawless miniseries that deserved to become an ongoing. Sigil was definitely the best of Marvel's Crossgen reboots, and it's disappointing that Marvel hasn't done anything with ANY of the properties except for the three minis last year. I will forever hold out hope for TPBs of the original series.

[Francine · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an origin story, I enjoyed it. I would have liked to read more, but I think they cancelled this series and its sister properties; it's not easy to find these older comics. :/
I wonder what fans of the original Sigil by CrossGen think of this?

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series has a lot of promise. I love the artwork. But the plot felt a bit rushed, and I was sad a potentially interesting character was immediately killed off.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was charming and throwback-y, sort of in a 90s Buffy wheelhouse. Nice coloring and strong main character. Villain and supporting character were a little cartoony.

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always jealous of people who adapt quickly to new situations/superpowers. Were this to happen to me I'd probably be shellshocked, looking for a Mentor and a Training Room.

[Esti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, light read, with some wonderfully ludicrous piratespeak. Not much else, considering what I've come to expect from Mike Carey.

[Megan Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting premise, but I think I'd prefer at as a novel. It went so fast that I didn't feel like I got to know anyone or their actual motives.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not overly exciting, sort of fast paced. It felt semi rushed at parts and therefore it does not always flow well.

I'm interested to see where this story will go.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why is there not more in this series? It's not bad, and I'd certainly be interested in reading more

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Wasn't bad. Interesting story. Art was great. Story was a bit weak though.

[Aldi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ok. Pretty basic Marvel stuff, which tbh is not really my cuppa. Pretty art, though.

[Bryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though the artwork was pleasant enough, I found the story unsatisfying. It's hard to put my finger on just what was off about the whole thing, other than a sense that it was rushed and compressed into too few pages. I got the sense that this could be a fun fantasy series if it were given more time to establish the other players in the story, their motivations, or how the world works, but I found myself flipping through these four issues without really connecting to anything or anyone.

Two and a half stars would be more fair.