When we first reported on The Pendulum from Sea Lion Books back before New York Comic Con, I was intrigued by the title. The author of the title, Anne Elizabeth, has done extensive work in the Romance genre, so her books don’t really appeal to me, but the premise behind The Pendulum certainly sounded intriguing. The preview art by Siya Oum also had me intrigued. So upon hearing of the books release, I jumped at the chance to read it. What I was met with, however, was a story that just didn’t live up to my expectations.
The Pendulum is the second book in Elizabeth’s 8-part Pulse of Power series and opens on protagonist Tia Stanton sneaking up on a pair of demons. She’s telling the reader through an internal narrative about the powers she has and how demons are afraid of her. True to form, her foes run off, leaving Tia the victor. As the second book in a planned series, I would expect there to be some referencing of events that a new reader would have no knowledge of. Yet, from the beginning, the story isn’t new-reader friendly. Characters are put into play without a clear introduction. Events are referenced without any sort of elaboration or indication that they have any bearing on the plot. Where did the demons come from? What sort of powers does Tia have? While some would expect these questions to be answered as the story progresses, that never really happens.
Elizabeth is a talented writer and certainly has a way with words but it’s clear that she doesn’t have much experience writing in a visual medium like comic books. The book is excessively heavy with narration boxes which outline everything that happens on the page. Many times, the narration doesn’t even correlate with the page’s images, going on the describe things that the reader doesn’t see. For example, two lines of text include:
She was drifting above her body looking down on the scene below.
Finally a jolt hit… striking her deep in the chest.
Meanwhile, the art shows a static figure staring blankly out into space. Elizabeth has described some interesting visuals… Why don’t we get to see them? An old author’s adage states “Show. Don’t tell.” That applies in comics more than anything. And yes, I understand the idea of metaphor. But metaphors like these get lost in comics translation. All it serves is to slow down the reader.
Which brings me to my next point about the pacing of the book. The Pendulum would have been better served treated as a 3-or 4-issue miniseries instead of a stand-alone graphic novel. Elizabeth has weaved an intricate tale concerning the corruption of power, yet in the span of 47 pages, it feels rushed. Scenes change without proper transition, leaving the reader feeling jarred and confused. Vital scenes are cut short while unnecessary scenes seemed to run far longer than they should. By the time Tia stumbles, literally, on the proof of the evil the antagonist is capable of, the resolution comes a few pages later. I would have preferred some portions of the story be cut to allow for better pacing, elaborating on the plot itself. Even the characterization gets neglected. Tia, Witt and the rest certainly seem like interesting people, but they’re never given a chance to shine. Before we even get the chance to see their personalities, the scene has already changed.
Overall, despite its potential, The Pendulum is underwhelming. My hope is that, as the series progresses, Elizabeth opens up a little more and accepts more of the common conventions of comic book writing. She clearly has a great concept, with potentially interesting characters, but I feel that she’s trying to cram too much story into too many pages. Maybe future volumes of the series will be expanded to include more pages or even more books. I do think the Pulse of Power series can be successful, but it would need to evolve somehow from its current form.
Tags: Comic, Comic Books, Graphic novel, Michael Wirth, New York Comic Con, NYCC, Review, s Anne Elizabeth, Sea Lion Book, Siya Oum, The Pendulum, Tia Stanton
About the Author
Written by Michael Wirth
Hailing from the armpit of America, New Jersey, Michael has been collecting comic books since the age of 10. Now, he deigns to keep his finger on the pulse of pop-culture, keeping up with every passing fad or iconic innovation, never losing sight of his comic book roots.
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