Excellence #7 // Review
After a long hiatus, the creative team of Brandon Thomas and Khary Randolph return with the seventh installment of their highly acclaimed action fantasy series Excellence. In "Multitudes," We catch up with Spencer Dales six months after his confrontation with his father, and he is still on his mission to bring down the Aegis and free everyone from their influence.
He is now isolated and alone in this endeavor as the Aegis still have Aaron incarcerated. Since their encounter, he has no Monique to help him, and the distance between him and his father has only grown in the months. Spencer has a newly refined proficiency with his sorcery that exceeds even his father's once lofty expectations and goals for him. But that newfound aptitude is also drawing the ire of the Aegis, leading them to employ a squad from their version of Internal Affairs. Led by Dequan Hill, they are spying on Spencer and gathering evidence of him breaking the 4 Walls to report back to the Aegis. Spencer is using highly advanced enchantments to keep his anonymity from Dequan's team and to allow himself some time and space to work his plan of attack. Spencer has developed a confidence that borders on recklessness. His friend Dareon almost gets pulled into his scheme, but Spencer discovers that the Aegis' fear and control are greater than he imagined. Dareon conveys his belief to Spencer that if there really were a rebellion against the Aegis, the Dales family would be protected. But Spencer and his rambunctious behavior would be too costly for him and would leave his own family vulnerable. The whole exchange with D leaves Spencer pondering his own privilege and leads him back to a familiar source of strength.
Brandon Thomas has been constructing this story and evolving the characters all along the way. Spencer's growth is evident, and he's a character that you care about because Thomas added layers so you can see that Spencer's intentions are genuine. Still, to the outside world, he is just too impetuous and contentious to follow. A strong leading character with great resilience and very human shortcomings make Excellence very easy to read. The new antagonists in Dequan Hill and the Aegis's secret intelligence unit are cool new adversaries. They use loose talk and language like any regular street guy. Or better yet, they're like Buc Nasty, Silky Johnson, and Pitbull from the Player Haters ball talking trash, especially when they deal with Spencer. But they are also skilled wizards in their own right and appear to be formidable adversaries. With the ending, Thomas leaves you dangling once again, waiting to see what happens next as the Aegis flexes their muscle and reminds Spencer that they are always watching.
Khary Randolph is definitely paying homage to Kool Moe Dee with the design of one of the Aegis's internal affairs agents in his vintage Porsche 5620 Sunglasses and leather Kufi hat. Randolph continues with his immaculate hip hop anime-influenced technique with explosive magic panels. The way Spencer is drawn makes him seem a little older than 18, but it works if you're immersed in the story and realize that he's maturing and evolving faster after a slow start. He draws African-Americans so true to life and with so much traditional style that every beard, goatee, mustache, and brow looks like someone that you would really meet in the community. Emilio Lopez accentuates the story well with the colors he chooses to utilize throughout the story. Brilliant hues of blue, green, yellow, and purple to indicate that powerful sorcery is at work do a tremendous job in bringing the action to life. Lopez is also good at softening up the skin tones and getting the complexions right on the characters. You actually see that black people come in different shades with his colorwork.
Multitudes is a positive addition to the world of Excellence and is a fun read for mature fantasy adventure enthusiasts.
