Review: Atlas and Axis #3

Atlas & Axis are adventurers at heart. They“re a couple of mutts, living in the world of Pangea, who take fantastic journeys and discover new and strange places. Recently, Titan Comics has brought their voyages to US comic readers in this English translation of the original French stories.

I“ve sadly not read the first two issues in this series, but picking up the third issue did not seem to put me at a disadvantage at all. The translation is superb and the story is very well written. As I dug into this issue, it quickly became clear to me that the book is for all ages. The most impressive element to me is that Pau, the creator, writer, and artist of the story, does not pander to the audience but treats them as educated individuals by providing readers a unique blend of educational storytelling and humor. The character development is wonderful. Both Atlas and Axis, while sometimes having different ideas on what they want to do, find a way work together. They value friendship and feel a sense of gratitude and debt to those who help them.

It“s not often you find an all ages work so solid, much less one that displays the triple threat, creating, writing and artistic talent of a single individual. The book is stunningly beautiful and Pau has done a spectacular job of adding lessons to the story for the readers. The teachings in this book, such as engaging in respectful debate of entrenched ideas, and the ability to learn from a culture that is different from your own is something we could all be reminded of these days.

I found myself looking for another comic to compare this to, and the one that kept coming to mind was Bone. While the reasons for the adventures may be different, both books create rich worlds full of well written characters who seem to learn tremendous life lessons as they continue on their journey. I can“t recommend Atlas & Axis enough for young readers. Let the adventure begin!

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

ATLAS & AXIS #3
Writer / Artist: Pau
Publisher: Titan Comics
Imprint: Statix Press
Cover A: Pau

Author Profile

Bryan Spaulding

In his free time, other than reading comic books, Bryan enjoys listening to his ever growing record collection and driving his 27 year old roadster named Mingo.