One of the trickier problems in modern comics is that of translation. Different cultures have different storytelling styles, and slang and idiom present further problems. Ask any manga fan about what can go wrong; especially in the ’80s there were some truly awful translations of classic books.
Unfortunately, the latest round of Assassin’s Creed comics seem to have fallen victim to this problem, to some degree.
The basic problem of the books, of which there are three so far with more to come, is that a fair chunk of it is dedicated to exposition. There’s a reason for this: These comics exist partially to be sold to Assassin’s Creed‘s enormous non-gaming fan base so they can get caught up on the game’s story and fill in a few gaps.
Still, it doesn’t translate well, and often the books feel a bit stiff, although it’s far from the worst French-to-English translation in comics. The author, Eric Corberyan, has a lot of fun with the mythology of the series, and hopping back and forth in time. The books largely explore the past of one of Desmond’s ancestors, Aquilus, a Roman-era Assassin, and cut back to Desmond as he deals with the general lunacy. Corberyan is an experienced screenwriter and has been working in comics for decades, and it shows in his pacing and humor.
The art, by Djillali Defali, is detailed, especially in backgrounds, although it must be said that Defali sometimes struggles with his colorist and inker. Digital color doesn’t seem to be used, or if it is used, it’s done so inconsistently.
One thing that can’t be argued against, though, is the printing. Titan Books, republishing these comics, has chosen to put them out in gorgeous slim hardbacks. Collectors in particular are going to love having these.
In the end, if you’re a big fan of Assassin’s Creed, these books are worth the $10 apiece to fill out the mythology a little bit more. If you don’t care that much about Desmond and his ancestors, though, you might have more fun with the games instead.
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Does Assassin’s Creed really have an “enormous non-gaming fan base”? How does that work? Isn’t that basically all Assassin’s Creed is, so far? Just the games, a few comics like these, and maybe a novel or two?
Six comics so far (a seventh comes out this month), five novels, and a handful of short films. And by all accounts they all moved quite a few copies.
Interesting! But I imagine that most of the people who’d buy such novels and comics would be people who’ve played the games and really taken a shine to them. The question I was getting at was, how/why would a person who doesn’t play videogames get into Assassin’s Creed without something like a major motion picture to get them interested; but maybe that wasn’t what you meant by “non-gaming fan base.”
The short answer? Significant others of gamers. Apparently the game’s story is attention getting enough that people get into it.
Ahh! That makes sense. Pretty cool, too, to think about significant others being able to derive some enjoyment from just sitting and watching. I imagine that’s rare.