Comic book reviews for the Sigil miniseries by Mike Carey and Leonard Kirk
Average rating: 3.25/5 stars
Sigil #1 by Mike Carey
Art: Leonard Kirk
I was rather impressed with Sigil. I’ve never read any of the CrossGen books before, so this was my introduction to this universe. I thought both Carey and Kirk did a great job at laying down the story and creating a mystery. I also thought they did wonderful with a teenage world too. I can see this book being a good one for a young girl audience.
I’m really interested to see how Sam’s powers evolve and how she learns to use them. I love that her going back in time is tied to her history class. Makes learning all the more fun, right?
One element I didn’t care for was that she, like so many superheros, has a dead parent. Her mother Vanessa Rey, from who she inherited her powers from, was killed on a mission. A mission that Sam knew nothing about.
I do think that Sam’s high school bullies are over-the-top. I mean, does every character in high school have to be bullied? I can’t help but wonder if it’s just in our zeitgeist currently. Sure, I was bullied in high school, but not in the ‘every confrontation leads to physical violence’ way that seems to pop up in about every comic book about teenagers these days.
My only real nitpick is that Sam’s bully Tamara comes off reading queer, when she’s apparently upset about Sam stealing her man. I get that not everyone knows their sexual orientation by high school; but unless Sam’s supposed to be in a tiny town, a lot of high schoolers these days not only know, but are out of the closet.
I’ll definitely be hanging around to see where this title goes.
Sigil #2 by Mike Carey
Art: Leonard Kirk
After such a strong opening, I was a little disappointed in this issue. Mostly, I felt that it was unnecessarily confusing. I get that Sam’s pretty confused by everything that’s going on around her in the world, but that doesn’t mean that the reader must also be too.
My favorite character currently is definitely Captain Sin. I loved her telling Sam to be strong, and I adored the moment when she said all she’d need is a pistol in her hand to feel better. I hope that she and Sam have a future friendship.
Woodvine is rather one note. He seems to play the role of the exposition. Sam blinking in and out of different times must have some kind of consequence besides the awkwardness.
I still think that the angry teenage girl bullying is over-the-top. Tamara shoving Sam off the balcony very much so. (Also, do school’s really have wooden railing anymore? Aren’t they all metal?)
Sigil #3 by Mike Carey
Art: Leonard Kirk and Patrick Olliffe
This issue was probably the most entertaining so far. I think I would’ve liked this story if it’d move a little slower, and there’d been more issues. I still feel like I don’t know who Sam is besides a resourceful teenage girl thrown into a crazy situation (with pirates) and has powers she doesn’t know how to use.
Captain October talking with the tarot cards was a little frustrating because there was no explanation of who those people were or why they were talking to him. I was hoping for more explanation with Sam’s conversation with the guy in the painting, Stephan Calico. Besides there being some kind of war.
I will, however, take more stories with Captain Sin.
Sigil #4 by Mike Carey
Art: Leonard Kirk
I wanted to like the Sigil mini-series more than I did. Sadly, it just didn’t really work very well for me. Maybe the intended audience is a tad younger than I am. But I had a hard time really rooting for Sam and caring about her. If I was going to pick out a character that I adored, it would’ve been Captain Sin. Though Carey making her put down housewives — when in her era, most women had zero life choices — left a bad taste in my mouth.
I am so glad that Sam defeated October on her own and figured out how to use the weapon on her own. That was a great move, and it kept the story focused on Sam and her heroism.
I’ve already decided that I’m going to read Mystic (as I love G. Willow Wilson’s writing); however, Sigil itself did not impress me enough to continue with this comic universe. I still don’t have any investment.
