The second volume in Alcante’s Pandora’s Box series is about Sloth. Updating the spirit behind various Greek myths and incorporating the misuse of modern technology, this particular volume provides a behind-the-scenes insight into the fall of an Olympic sprinter.
Paris Troy holds a plethora of records, medals and championships, but sees his grip on them slipping through his fingers as young upstart Ace Achean rises through the ranks. Plagued by injury, Paris is forced to rest and disappears off the scene for a few months, while Ace grabs the headlines and even wins the interest of Paris’s sponsor. With the Olympics on the horizon, Paris is justifiably wary of his position, so turns to steroids in an attempt to regain his edge.
The story is crammed with “don’t do it” moments as Paris wavers over whether to take the drugs, then gets his ego knocked and does them anyway. However a surprise double-twist at the end should keep you guessing right up to the last page. It’s a skilfully crafted story but it’s relentlessly bleak in its outlook, as Paris travels along his inevitable path of shame.
We felt the artwork was less impressive. Radovanovic’s figures occasionally didn’t look quite right to our eye. Given that the book is literally crammed with the requirement to draw athletic characters, the art proved ultimately disappointing.
As a follow-up to Pride it falls a tad short, partly because of the art and partly because the characters seem built up into archetypes – perhaps a victim of its mythological roots. Paris’s fall from grace seems to occur far too easily, making you wonder how he found the mental strength to get to the position he had got to in the first place. The ending certainly lifts our overall impression of the story but it still feels like a simple concept stretched out across a book that’s ultimately too long.
Read more Pandora’s Box:
[catlist orderby=title numberposts=-1 id=799 order=asc]