STARHENGE BOOK ONE: THE DRAGON AND THE BOAR #3: When Circles Touch In Time

Sharp plunges us back into the world of ancient Hibernia as our hero from the far-flung future continues with his mission to create Stonehenge much to the amusement and disbelief of both his allies and others. Sharp again deftly intertwines ancient Celtic legend and sci-fi here with the inclusion of the pagan deity of Cernunnos and the idea that the “Magic” that this modified human being from the far-flung future is firmly based on science. Sharp also adds a layer of humanity to Merlin. As superior as he is due to his modifications (carking as its called), he is still flawed, has been mentally affected by the movement so far through time. Uther is a bit of a bullshitter and a religious zealot. This is mirrored by Uther’s attitude toward him and further reflected by the Hibernian’s disbelief and laughter at the idea of transporting the Giant Rings from Hibernia to England. Sharp pours on the Barbaric violence all the while contrasting the ancient battle with a very modern narration from back in the present. Again Sharp references several mythologies regarding how Stonehenge was created before pulling it back to the idea that the magic that moved the stones, is magic that may not have entirely been under Merlin’s control.

Sharp then switches track, back to modern-day Stonehenge, a tourist attraction and our erstwhile narrator and her lover have come to visit it and Sharp ties our narrator’s role to the grand story across time in a physically tangible manner with a lovely piece of sci-fi theory, that time is several states of being and nonlinear and that those moments can touch and the interaction can lead to stuff moving through time and this leads to the arrival of something rather horrible. It’s a pretty straightforward affair script wise and while it lacks a little of the flair of the first two issues, it’s still inspired stuff from Sharp as we move
toward the inevitable confrontation that has to happen.

The art in this and particularly the stuff in the past reminds me very much of Bisley’s Slaine stories in 2000 A.D. swords, blood, beards and naked butts abound as Sharp seamlessly marries multiple style elements together to tell the story. It’s majestic, epic, and an absolute feast visually that grabs you from the cover and doesn’t let go till the last page where you emerge dazzled and then cant help but rush back to the beginning to read it all again.