Hook V. Pan
I like the concept with this comic. Peter Pan retold in the backdrop of Europe in the middle of World War Two. I read the first arc and was entertained but just didn’t dig it enough to keep up with the single issues. So when issue #9 dropped in my lap, I thought it would be interesting to see how things have played out since I last read the series.
So I find myself in the middle of a very interesting issue. This is the confrontation/interrogation of Peter by Hook. It is in this setting that the series finds the voice for its own version of Captain Hook, and how his military mind and heart is trying everything it can to not outright kill Peter. Instead, he is going for trying to break his spirit.
You really do get inside Hook’s mind and how he sees the world. Like a good antagonist, he is in the belief that what he is doing is justified for what he perceives to be the greater good. He absolutely knows that he isn’t on the wrong side. What he sees in Peter is a sort of kinship, and I walked away from the comic thinking that he really does want Peter at his best so he can defeat him in the same way that Peter took his hand issues ago. Hook wants an equal and worthy opponent, and if he has to break Peter’s spirit to have it then he will.
The sad thing is that I haven’t read the book in a bit, so there are some areas that don’t make sense to me. For example, I get that Hook wants Peter to talk about a location for some group of people called the Braves, but I don’t really know who they are in the context of the story. I also am at a loss for the names of some of the Lost Boys. I also know that the story is being told from one of the Lost Boys as he talks to a Mr. Parsons, but I forget which Lost Boy it was right off hand. I get the visual for who is giving the voice over narration, but the name escapes me. Outside of those few factors, the story reads rather well.
I remember one reason why I stopped reading was the art. It just wasn’t suiting my tastes. Issue to issue, it never really felt like the Lost Boys looked any different from one another. Their voices never seemed to be distinct either. Granted, both Peter and Hook have a very distinctive look about them and they are easily identifiable, but the others seem a little lost in the mix. Maybe it is just Jenkins’ art style, but it just isn’t one I am a fan of.
This issue had some interesting and exciting aspects to it. Looking back, this issue had me hanging around and excited for what was happening until just about near the end. There is such a distinctive look, feel, and sound to Peter and Hook from their interaction that was just really well done. If you get this book for one thing, get it for that confrontation.