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Meridian (collected editions) #3
Meridian, Vol. 3: Taking the Skies
Meridian is the story of Sephie, a sheltered young girl whose life resembles nothing so much as a fairy tale. The beloved only child of the Minister of Meridian, she grows up with an entire floating city as her playground. Then her father dies, and she inherits a sigil imbued with the power to create. So does her wicked Uncle Ilahn, except that his powers are bent on destruction and domination. Suddenly Sephie finds herself at the center of a power struggle, and quickly she learns that there is more than love in the world. Thrust into the role of Minister by her father's untimely death, using the powers she was granted by the mysterious sigil she bears, Sephie is out to wrest control of her world from her cruel Uncle Ilahn. In this volume, she takes to piracy to disrupt the trade routes Ilahn controls, but discovers that his own power extends beyond energy into the politics of contracts and influence. In a fight between two people given godlike powers, who wins? Meridian offers a young adventure hero for girls without leaving out the boys. All the alien wonder of a sci-fi fantasy world and the familiar trials of being sixteen years old are brought to life in a series that does for fantasy what "Harry Potter" does for magic.
260 pages, Paperback
First published July 17, 2002
54 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Randall Kesel
364 books32 followersBarbara Randall Kesel is an American writer and editor of comic books; her bibliography includes work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, CrossGen, Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics. Kesel is a very outspoken opponent of sexism in the comic book industry. She is known for her strong female characters, influencing her then husband Karl's work on Lois Lane in the Superman titles and creating Grace, the ruler of the Golden City location in Comics' Greatest World.
Kesel initially came into the comics world after writing a 10-page letter to editor Dick Giordano regarding the portrayal of female comic book characters. At Dark Horse, Kesel was part of Team CGW, responsible for most of the design and creation of the setting and characters in the Golden City location. She is currently part of book packaging company The Pack, alongside Lee Nordling, Brian Augustyn, Gordon Kent and Dave Olbrich.
Kesel has been nominated for the 1991 "Best Editor" Eisner Award for Badlands, Aliens: Genocide and Star Wars. In 1995, she was nominated for "Best Anthology" and "Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Material" Harvey Awards for, respectively, Instant Piano and Hellboy: Seed of Destruction. She won the 1996 "Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work" Harvey Award, for Hellboy: The Wolves of St. August.
Kesel initially came into the comics world after writing a 10-page letter to editor Dick Giordano regarding the portrayal of female comic book characters. At Dark Horse, Kesel was part of Team CGW, responsible for most of the design and creation of the setting and characters in the Golden City location. She is currently part of book packaging company The Pack, alongside Lee Nordling, Brian Augustyn, Gordon Kent and Dave Olbrich.
Kesel has been nominated for the 1991 "Best Editor" Eisner Award for Badlands, Aliens: Genocide and Star Wars. In 1995, she was nominated for "Best Anthology" and "Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Material" Harvey Awards for, respectively, Instant Piano and Hellboy: Seed of Destruction. She won the 1996 "Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work" Harvey Award, for Hellboy: The Wolves of St. August.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 12, 2014
The artwork is gorgeous but the story is mostly hit or miss and when it hits it isn't even anything like a home run in the panels. The world is interesting. Typical fantasy except the geography has floating territories and people get around by airships. The heroine has special powers that make her something of a superhero and her evil uncle wants to control her while he dominates the realms. As the story is hit or miss the artwork doesn't always mesh well with the panels.
STORY/PLOTTING: C to C plus; ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B (A minus if it doesn't have to mesh with the panels); CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: C to C plus; OVERALL GRADE: C plus; WHEN READ: end of July to early August 2012.
STORY/PLOTTING: C to C plus; ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B (A minus if it doesn't have to mesh with the panels); CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: C to C plus; OVERALL GRADE: C plus; WHEN READ: end of July to early August 2012.
December 27, 2012
I really enjoyed the first two trades of Meridian and after reading the third I really wished the creators had taken a breath and slowed down. In the first two we are slowly with great detail introduced to the planet of Demetria and all of its colorful characters. Here we go so fast through different scenes it just doesn't fit with what came before. On its own, it probably doesn't matter. Also, the inter-connectivity with the rest of the Crossgen universe hampers this title. The art, now by Steve McNiven, is really good and you can see why this guy goes on to become a star. Overall, the first two were much better but there is still a good read here.
January 17, 2009
October, 2006
An evil sorcerer works to take over his medieval-esque fantasy world, and a young hero endowed with special powers rises from sudden homelessness and orphan-hood to thwart his plans and bring peace to the world. It tries now and then, but Meridian cannot escape the label of standard fantasy. Yet, if familiar, time-tested character molds and over-aged children’s plots leave a sour taste in your mouth, Meridian is still flavored with enough quirks to make the series appetizing.
Islands float above the surface world, and grand wooden sky-ships sail the skies. The islands house thousands of people and a thriving, detailed economy. These alone could provide enough setting for a good story, but there is a whole planet beneath them to explore. Fantastic animals, such as giant, multi-eyed fish with several circular jaws, and flocks of winged, semi-reptilian, rat-like vermin, add spice to the world. The artist impatiently throws the hero from one place to another, giving us a fun, fast-paced tour from one well-drawn environment to the next.
The noble hero is a strong and intelligent girl: a relatively rare creature in comics, which has thrived in and populated this book’s world. She is a great role-model and a good hero, which is all very well. But for those of us who expect more from our characters than morality, Sephie doesn’t have much to offer. Her semi-tragic past and vague romantic side-stories are bland. However, her development from child to rebel leader inspires some respect, both for her and for the writer who shows her growth. Fighting and action certainly factor in the plot, but they are balanced by slight romantic tangents, and an interesting focus on economics.
Unfortunately, poor Sephie is plagued not only by the interferences of wild animals and wily uncles, but by characters from completely different universes who randomly intrude into hers, distracting from the plot and destroying the sense of credibility that even the wildest fantasy world needs. Crossgen is fond of including many similarities in their multiple universes, and of mixing the elements of those different universes in single stories. There may be a place for that, but it’s not here in a world that was doing fine on its own. Other worlds and their inhabitants should mind their own business and stay in their own books.
Artistically, Meridian provides plenty of eye-candy. The penciling is usually good and sometimes great, especially in its rendering of the ships, and of difficult angles on the figure. However, it is marred by occasional inconsistencies, particularly in the characters, and sometimes the mouths look strange. The inking is smooth, clean, and unobtrusive. But both take the backseat, because this comic is driven by the color. Usually each page has a particular pallet. Colorist Morry Hollowill displays a keen sensitivity to light which makes things glow or seethe with murky darkness. Panel variation keeps the eye excited.
The layout is great: the color of the gutters differs page to page, and sometimes there are no gutters, just panels over a big background. Panels overlap, and occasionally objects and people break past the panel walls. Good rhythm, vibrant splash pages full of color and energy.
The dialogue is bland and sparse, and too many of the pages are splotched with invasive narration which is even worse. Meridian’s pacing is smooth, with rests where they should be and action that moves along, but its dynamics are plagued by this incessant background noise. This kind of narration is an unnecessary crutch to aid the reader in understanding the action and the protagonist’s feelings: goals which would be so much better met with expressive art and good dialogue.
An evil sorcerer works to take over his medieval-esque fantasy world, and a young hero endowed with special powers rises from sudden homelessness and orphan-hood to thwart his plans and bring peace to the world. It tries now and then, but Meridian cannot escape the label of standard fantasy. Yet, if familiar, time-tested character molds and over-aged children’s plots leave a sour taste in your mouth, Meridian is still flavored with enough quirks to make the series appetizing.
Islands float above the surface world, and grand wooden sky-ships sail the skies. The islands house thousands of people and a thriving, detailed economy. These alone could provide enough setting for a good story, but there is a whole planet beneath them to explore. Fantastic animals, such as giant, multi-eyed fish with several circular jaws, and flocks of winged, semi-reptilian, rat-like vermin, add spice to the world. The artist impatiently throws the hero from one place to another, giving us a fun, fast-paced tour from one well-drawn environment to the next.
The noble hero is a strong and intelligent girl: a relatively rare creature in comics, which has thrived in and populated this book’s world. She is a great role-model and a good hero, which is all very well. But for those of us who expect more from our characters than morality, Sephie doesn’t have much to offer. Her semi-tragic past and vague romantic side-stories are bland. However, her development from child to rebel leader inspires some respect, both for her and for the writer who shows her growth. Fighting and action certainly factor in the plot, but they are balanced by slight romantic tangents, and an interesting focus on economics.
Unfortunately, poor Sephie is plagued not only by the interferences of wild animals and wily uncles, but by characters from completely different universes who randomly intrude into hers, distracting from the plot and destroying the sense of credibility that even the wildest fantasy world needs. Crossgen is fond of including many similarities in their multiple universes, and of mixing the elements of those different universes in single stories. There may be a place for that, but it’s not here in a world that was doing fine on its own. Other worlds and their inhabitants should mind their own business and stay in their own books.
Artistically, Meridian provides plenty of eye-candy. The penciling is usually good and sometimes great, especially in its rendering of the ships, and of difficult angles on the figure. However, it is marred by occasional inconsistencies, particularly in the characters, and sometimes the mouths look strange. The inking is smooth, clean, and unobtrusive. But both take the backseat, because this comic is driven by the color. Usually each page has a particular pallet. Colorist Morry Hollowill displays a keen sensitivity to light which makes things glow or seethe with murky darkness. Panel variation keeps the eye excited.
The layout is great: the color of the gutters differs page to page, and sometimes there are no gutters, just panels over a big background. Panels overlap, and occasionally objects and people break past the panel walls. Good rhythm, vibrant splash pages full of color and energy.
The dialogue is bland and sparse, and too many of the pages are splotched with invasive narration which is even worse. Meridian’s pacing is smooth, with rests where they should be and action that moves along, but its dynamics are plagued by this incessant background noise. This kind of narration is an unnecessary crutch to aid the reader in understanding the action and the protagonist’s feelings: goals which would be so much better met with expressive art and good dialogue.
October 25, 2014
The third volume in this series didn't capture the fantasy/magical feel I remember from the first two (which, admittedly, I read a long time ago). Despite feeling frenetic, nothing much happens -- the whole trade seems like it's an expanded form of a simpler story. Rather than the coming-of-age story of Sephie, we're given here a pirate story. The intriguing world of floating islands is lessened by the ho-hum nature of this volume. The apparent crossover, in the last story, with a CrossGen character who I'm not familiar with, also annoyed me. Steve McNiven's art, from long before his Marvel days, was a joy, though.
November 25, 2014
I don't love the writing in these, giving up.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews