The Bygone Eras of Oogerel (Issues 1 & 2)
Summary
From the Bygone Sagas of Oogerel is an ongoing comic series anthology by brother and sister duo Christian and Kelsey Hauer. Featuring the one-off story A Shrewd Defense, the first entry of the nightmarish A Rude Awakening story, and two stories of the Marvelous Mr. Motley superhero series. All tied together in the same fantastical world of Oogerel — albeit at different times and locations — this comic universe delivers the high-flying action, stalwart heroes, and the strangeness of alien lifeforms; all with plenty of room to expand and explore.
Assessment
From the Bygone Sagas of Oogerel is a comic series with the quality and diversity of storytelling that is incredibly reminiscent of Marvel during some of its heydays. The artwork has a distinctive, appealing, and well-structured style to it with rich color palettes that set the tone expertly for each story. The writing and dialogue, at a similar level of quality, set the aesthetic for each story as surely as the artwork does; with references to historical and cultural elements of the various countries of Oogerel and uses of world-specific exclamations.
Theologically speaking, the stories focus mostly on positive morals and the struggle of good vs. evil; however, there is a distinct Scriptural basis for much of what they discuss. They also offer a Biblical Reflection Guide (link below) for the comics as well. The stories are also mostly clean, with some action and violence, but little to no blood and no gore. A Shrewd Defense does deal with the concept of slavery and ethical discussions around the topic that might go over the heads of younger kids, but it’s not presented in a way that would be inappropriate or too much to for children to handle.
Light-o-Meter
Overall — 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Story: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Artwork: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Quality: 7 out of 7 Little Lights
Theological Message: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Age Appropriateness — Appropriate for kids 10 years or older (younger kids may enjoy the series as well, even if they don’t understand everything).
Talk
I feel like, sometimes with indie comics, there is this element of trying a little bit too hard to break into the big leagues. A little too much effort trying to be new and splashy, a little extra emphasis on being distinctive, rather than focusing on telling a good story. From the Bygone Sagas of Oogerel, however, completely ignores this trend. It is an indie comic that effortlessly manages to be unique, well-developed, and an absolute blast. It feels like all the good comics from Marvel and DC’s golden eras, if perhaps a little less edgy.
While I enjoyed each of the four stories, I want to zero in for a moment on the two Marvelous Mr. Motley stories because they are amazing (not necessarily better than the others, but since there were two of them I was able to get a better feel of the overall vibe and aesthetic). The Mr. Motley stories feel like the best cross between Marvel’s Daredevil and Mask of Zorro, with a little circus flavor thrown in. While they are short, they are packed full of action, witty dialogue (lots of bad puns), and just a dash of political intrigue and romance. I am very excited to have a Mr. Motley sticker because I quickly became a huge fan.
I think my only two, very minor complaints about the series is first the fact that they can be a little heavy-handed with the translator’s notes/pronunciation guides in the comic panels; this isn’t a huge issue for everyone, but I am very easily distracted and pulled out of stories, so that was a tiny bit annoying. I did very much appreciate the pronunciation guide at the beginning of the comic, though!
The second small complaint is that I don’t really know where A Rude Awakening is going. It was a lot of action with a heavy dose of reality-bending that made it difficult for me to fully understand what was going on. The reason it’s not a huge deal is that I know they have plans to continue the series and will presumably provide more answers with additional issues, so I will wait patiently and with great enthusiasm for the next issue.
Overall, I think that this comic series is an absolute delight and something an entire family could enjoy. It would also be a great, safe introduction to comics for younger kids, with everything from evil trapeze artists to lizard people in bicornes to spooky-but-not-too-terrifying monsters that need some defeating!
Where to Enjoy
Bruh! Comics
Issue 01: 01 From the Bygone Sagas of Oogerel: A Shrewd Defense | BRUH! Comics
Issue 02: 02 From the Bygone Sagas of Oogerel: A Rude Awakening | BRUH! Comics
Biblical Reflection Guide: 01 A Shrewd Defense: A Biblical Reflection Guide | BRUH! Comics
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