by Maurice Harter

"No sooner is a temple built to God but the Devil builds a chapel hard by."
-- George Herbert

A Moment of Freedom - Michael Larson (Caliber/Tome Press); one issue, b&w, 64 pages, $4.95).

It is the year 1183 AD and the Holy Wars are about to sweep Europe. Two young lads, Philip and Michel, have committed their lives to God and to the Catholic Church, and have entered an abbey as novices. One fateful day they are part of an entourage escorting a visitor, the renowned theologian and influential cardinal Thomas Barussa of Labium, to their village of Cluny, France. The tour is disrupted by a madwoman, ranting about how the church has become corrupt. "Weeds have grown up about the cross, choking it¼but your doom has come. A young man of Burgundy, pure in heart, clear of purpose -- by the sword will he bring Christ's true message. His will be the hand that tears down the walls of gold." The woman's seemingly delusional prophecies captivate the attention of both the Cardinal and Michel, whose eyes open to the corruption all about him. A year later, Michel joins the Knights Templar.

On October 2, 1187, the Holy Army storms into Israel and captures Jerusalem. Though absent from the bloody battle, the action disturbs Michel greatly. Weeks later, Pope Urban dies, and his successor Albert Demorra is crowned Gregory the Eighth. Gregory is determined to end the Holy Wars and bring about peace. But he dies unexpectedly of a fever eight weeks after his coronation, and is replaced by Paolo Scolari, a friend of Barussa. Scolari extends the wars, urging all of Europe to accept the Cross. One day Michel is visited by Philip, who is greatly troubled. Philip confides that he has proof that Pope Gregory was murdered, poisoned by Barussa. The revelation of the heinous act burdens Michel so much that he disappears for a year on a vision quest to re-examine his purpose. When he returns, it is as a Holy Vigilante, determined to bring down the corrupt church by terrorizing the Cardinal and Pope into confessing their treacherous sins.

This historical melodrama starts off a bit slow and dry, but then shifts gear into a Batman-styled saga. It demonstrates that true events can be just as compelling story-wise as any super-hero comic.

"The most perplexing forms of evil, and especially so for all idealists, is that kind of evil which comes out of our efforts to do good. Perhaps when we try to do good without love, we create evil". - William Irwin Thompson

The Books of Faerie (DC/Vertigo); graphic novel, color, 96p, $14.95).

Once upon a time in olde England, there was a young girl named Maryrose. The lass lived with her widowed father and grandmother. They were poor, and family life was very stressful. One evening while Maryrose was gathering kindling in the woods, she noticed a mysterious display of moving colored lights. Being the curious sort, she followed them through a dimensional curtain into the mystical, magical land of Faerie. To her delight she was invited by Queen Dymphyna to stay there, and in time she becomes a handmaiden in the Royal Court. When she blossoms into womanhood, she attracts the eye of the old king, desperate for an heir and in despair because the queen cannot conceive.

When an evil spell imprisons Dymphyna's soul in an oak tree, the way is cleared for the king to wed the Earth girl, who renames herself Queen Titania. Unfortunately, the king is called to war before a conception could take place, and falls on the battlefield. Mourning the loss of her husband, Titania agrees to wed Auberon, leader of the warring contingent and an aspiring contender for the throne. But it is a loveless union, and on a return visit to Earth proper, Titania meets and is romantically attracted to Tamlin, a handsome young man who escorts her back to Faerie. And of course they fall in love.

Torn between two lovers, Fate intervenes and Titania finally becomes pregnant -- but with Tamlin's child. If the baby is born and revealed to be human, the scandal will throw Faerie land into upheaval. Titania has to decide what to do -- but I leave it to you to discover how the fable plays out. The star of Vertigo's popular Books of Magic comic is young Tim Hunter, a fledgling wizard with the potential to becomes the world's most powerful mage. One of the ongoing mysteries in that comic concerns Tim's ancestry. Does he have fairy blood in him? This graphic novella answers the question -- sorta. This Faerie tale proved so popular that a second mini-series was recently released, and Faerie back-up tales are running in the Books of Magic.

See next month's edition for Part II.