Rex Mundi Volume 6: Gate of God - Softcover

Gate of God brings the six-volume Rex Mundi saga to an ambiguous close. The series, which follows Dr. Julien Saunière's quest to find the Holy Grail, is set in 1930s Europe, but a still-feudal Europe where the Protestant Reformation was crushed by the Catholic Church. The final installment invokes the magical plot elements, Christian legends, and dramatic plot twists that have attracted fans since the series debuted in 2003. In addition to Saunière, Genevieve Tournon, the duke of Lorraine, and Lady Isabelle play a critical role in the action. Saunière, along with the readers, finds the answers to mysteries that have been building over the years, although the ending leaves some questions unaddressed. A summary at the beginning of the book will help get newcomers up to speed, but the story will have the most resonance with those who are caught up already. Ferreyra's artwork manages to look ethereal and realistic in the same moment, an appropriate complement to the tale. The volume concludes with a gallery of Rex Mundi–inspired images by Dark Horse artists, including Joseph Michael Linsner, Mike Mignola, and John Cassaday. (Feb.)
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Nelson concludes his alternate-history graphic rival to The Da Vinci Code with the principals—Indy Jones–like hero Julien Saunière; the ruthlessly Hitleresque Duke of Lorraine (or David I, emperor of the Franks, as he now styles himself); the duke’s rebellious daughter, Isabelle; and his duplicitous wife, Genevieve—converging on the palace in the Pyrenees in which the Holy Grail is ensconced. Several other main players retake the field, either from out of hiding or, more portentously for the final revelations about the grail, from the grave. Needless to say, the action is furious and, for a couple of principals as well as many from the duke’s entourage, lethal. A climactic cataclysm of satisfying scale; a quiet, weighty denouement that cracks the door for a sequel; and the collapse in exhaustion of the pan-European war the duke started wrap the package up. Ferreyra’s flair for moody lighting and coloring stays the course, ably supporting Nelson’s Hollywood-costume-drama imagination. Framing short stories drawn by Brian Churilla and the more caricatural Guy Davis (B.P.R.D.) add charm as well as value. --Ray Olson