For a few years, I read Piers Anthony's novels avidly. As I matured through my teen years, I found them less and less to my liking and quickly gave up on Anthony altogether. But, while much of his writing is, in my memory, dreck churned out for adolescent readers who don't know better, I always had a soft spot for his Incarnations of Immortality series, particular the opening novel, On a Pale Horse.

So I was happy to see, back in 1991, a graphic novel adaptation of that very book. Adapted and edited down to a six-issue mini-series and released by Innovation Books, this version of Anthony's novel is lovingly and colorfully painted to perfection.

Zane is down and out in a modern world where science and magic exist side by side. Broke and starving, he wanders into a magic gemshop and trades a shot at romance for a chance at wealth. Ah, but the spell fizzles, and Zane decides to end it all ... until the Grim Reaper interrupts him at his task and gets shot in his place.

With Death dead, Zane learns, he must assume the office himself. Fate, in her varied aspects, gets him started on his new job collecting balanced souls for judgment. Then, a mage on the edge of his own demise summons Death and offers Luna, his daughter, for love and protection. And then Zane starts messing with the order of things, saving lives and taking lives he shouldn't.

As anyone who has ever read a Piers Anthony novel must know, the author has an insatiable fascination with breasts and legs. This tale is painted accordingly, so be prepared to see a lot of beautiful young women with their dresses cut down to there and slit up to there. While the fixation became tiresome in his novels, I have to admit it doesn't seem so bad in this more visual medium. Similarly, Hell runs advertisements that are tempting indeed!

This series is, last I checked, hard to find these days, but if you can track down a set, it's a fun, light, enjoyable read with some interesting moral quandaries to boot.

by Tom Knapp
Rambles.NET
30 December 2006