In a futuristic world where mythology is fact, Mt. Olympus has fallen to earth and the Greek gods that once ruled over the skies are now either dead or destitute. Among the gods still left standing is Lxandra, the tenth muse of justice, and only she has the courage and strength to defend the world from the dangers that threaten it. So begins 10th Muse 800, a new series released by Bluewater Productions. Created by Darren G. Davis, written by Adam Gragg, and illustrated by Roman Morales III, this new series is part Xena: Warrior Princes and part Witchblade, but it all mixes together into a cocktail of fun.
The story of the first two issues of 10th Muse 800 is set in the distant future of a fictionalized world where Mt. Olympus has crumbled to the earth after Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, battled against his brother, Hades, the king of the dead. It was a cosmic duel they both lost, resulting in the death of Zeus and the near-destruction of the pantheon he once lorded over. The gods that did not die in the wake of their home’s demise scattered across the world, doing their best at blending into the world they once controlled. Among them is Hephaestus, the former god of fire and blacksmithing, who’s transformed himself into the industrialist Julian Holt heading the company of Vulcantech, located on the continent of Neo Ithaca.
But there are other “old gods” in the world, and Holt is suspicious they all are not working on the premise of trying to better the world. Doing his part to work for humanity, Holt rescued and technologically modified the secret tenth muse, Lxandra, the patron of justice. Brought face to face with gorgons, harpies, and sinister deities, the adventures of Lxandra have only just begun.
10th Muse 800 employs an exciting, fast-paced combination of mythology and science fiction, setting an original tone for the plot. I personally had a lot of fun with the book because while I barely got by in my math and science classes in school growing up, I excelled in ancient history and mythology, so I felt a certain level of identification with the events and characters of the story. Adam Gragg’s writing is cool and pithy, adding a mortal flavor to an immortal cast of characters.
Roman Morales’s artwork mixes nicely with Gragg’s storytelling, giving the tale a quality that reminded me of Witchblade; I saw hints of the late Michael Turner’s style in the book, which made it all the more pleasurable. This is especially true is a stellar battle between Lxandra and the gorgon sisters, headed by the deadly Medusa. The lettering by Jaymes Reed of Digital-CAPS! also adds a fine accent to the book, as he captures both a traditional lettering style as well as a fun computerize typeface for describing futuristic exposition and locales.
For anyone that enjoys Greek mythology or futuristic adventures, 10th Muse 800 is a great place to start. The adventures of Lxandra, the tenth muse of justice, will entertain fans of the fantastic with ease. For more information, check out Bluewater’s Web site.
This comic book review originally appeared on Comic News on 09 April 2009.
