Review by Karl Verhoven
With American Icons Geoff Johns and Gary Frank continue to take the immortal Simon Pure along some strange paths. As with Einstein and the Immortal, he’s shown in the company of several well known 19th century names, one mythical the others historical, and being near enough immortal counts for a lot when he runs into the murderous Bender family in the opening chapter. It’s fun due to us knowing Pure can’t die, but relatively straightforward by the series standards.
It’s followed by Pure in the company of Johnny Appleseed, who can sense magic in others. They meet each summer, and the incident dramatised occurs in 1816, when Pure is asked “what keeps you from helping folk who need it?” among other pertinent questions. It’s a comment with subsequent relevance, but here there’s action and wonder, yet evocative pages by Frank bring out the quiet honest heart.
Pure meeting and falling for Annie Oakley is also of the fun and relatively straightforward category, with the centrepiece being a shooting contest that turns very real.
Every now and again we’ve seen a mysterious person in Union blue watching Pure from a distance, and over the collection’s longest story we learn about the Northerner. As Pure jumps about chronologically in telling his stories, we’ve actually seen the Northerner at times after his first meeting with Pure during the American Civil War. As with the remainder of the book, this is spectacularly drawn by Frank, the spreads filled with characters and horses. The talent, though, isn’t just beguiling with the spectacular, but the art of storytelling, which is best observed on Pure’s range of expressions, revealing thoughts often unsaid.
The Northerner’s origins lie in a place that shouldn’t exist but for someone messing with history, and Pure may be a reluctant aide, but he’s provided with existential reasons for helping out. Amid some ponderings on magic Johns has a supporting character offer some astute observations and he ties in a possible future to current events. It’s not a subtle comparison, but it hits home.
A final story explores the importance of symbolism as the British attempt to re-conquer the USA in 1812. Johns plays a trick we’re beginning to see all too frequently, where Redcoat, who’s seen as self-serving by others in addition to himself instead acts for the common good. Johns has set himself a problem with Pure’s personality, and it’s going to have to be resolved.
Redcoat is part of a universe-building exercise, and while the Northerner is the most obvious example, further hints indicate other places and times, but crucially never interfering with the entertainment on offer. That’s again thoroughly enjoyable.
