''Aria'' is a
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
metaseries
A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...
published by
Image Comics, written by
Brian Holguin
Brian Holguin is an American writer who works in the comics industry.
Work
Holguin is known for his work on ''Aria'' and Todd McFarlane's ''Spawn''.
He also wrote '' Spawn: Godslayer'', a dark fantasy re-imagining of Spawn.
Partial bibliography ...
and drawn by Jay Anacleto. Its conceit is that mythic beings exist in the modern world of the
Image Universe
The Image Universe (IU) is a fictional universe in which some stories published by Image Comics take place. It was introduced in the early years of the publisher, shared by the various creators who formed the Image partnership. The independent, cr ...
. There have been several ''Aria'' miniseries written over the course of 1999–2003, which have been collected in
trade paperbacks
A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...
.
''Aria'' (1999)
The story opens in a New York bookshop, specializing in the esoteric. The shopowner, a sardonic young woman named Kildare, over the course of a day deals with a woman who found a
sword in her flat, two goths who want to drink
absinthe, and a man looking for a bargain-basement love
potion
A potion () is a liquid "that contains medicine, poison, or something that is supposed to have magic powers.” It derives from the Latin word ''potus'' which referred to a drink or drinking. The term philtre is also used, often specifically ...
. After work, she goes back to her flat, where she is greeted by a talking mirror and a fishtank full of tiny
merpeople...
She goes to a club which caters to an unusual clientele, where it becomes apparent that the woman is a Fae noble. She meets a man named Pug, later revealed to be a
dwarf
Dwarf or dwarves may refer to:
Common uses
*Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore
* Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...
, and the bartender Dion, who is none other than the Greek god
Dionysus
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Roma ...
. On the way home, she is attacked by a group of shadowy creatures.
Meanwhile, in an elven pub in Cottingly, a group of Fae are killed by further shadowy creatures.
In New York, Pug has rescued Kildare, and they are both looking for some answers. We are also introduced to Childe Roland, a half-elf street artist.
The death of the drinkers means that all of the Fae must return to their realm, temporarily for the funeral. We are introduced to 'Mad Ginny', the heroine's cousin, a touch insane, and the ultimate cause of the Cottingly Fairies fiasco. She, too, is being stalked by the shadowy creatures.
Eventually, the villain becomes apparent: a dark spiritual creature, who fought the Fae in ages past, and survived up to the present day as a shrub. After gathering strength for many years, his spirit is able to directly touch the physical world, and influence it, causing such disasters as the Great Fire of London in 1666. Finally he is able to take the shape of a human, he finds Mad Ginny, rapes her, and sires a son, through which he can act against the world at any time. The son is gathering the forces of the father.
In a final confrontation Kildare, Pug and a mortal wizard battle the son in a shadow realm. He is conducting a ceremony to transfer his soul to that of a human in our world which will allow him to act against mankind. The three defeat the son but not before he transfers his soul back to earth and the waiting recipient. Childe is waiting for him and quickly binds the man with magic.
On the final page we see that Ginny has moved to New York to live with Kildaire, the two of them work in Kildaire's antique and magic shop where the two of them watch over an urn that houses the soul of the dark one they trapped.
''Aria/Angela'' (2000)
This mini-series is a two issue
crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Albums and songs
* ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album)
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album)
* ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album)
* ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
where Kildare meets
Angela, the angel who appeared in
Spawn
Spawn or spawning may refer to:
* Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise
** '' Spawn: ...
. In
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
at the end of the 19th century, Kildare encounters a freak show exhibiting Angela and must rescue her. Because of copyright issues around the Angela character, this story was remade in 2021 as ''Heavenly Creatures''.
''Aria: The Soul Market'' (2001)
In this six issue mini-series, Kildare battles
Goodfellow, otherwise known as
Puck from
A Midsummer Night's Dream, who is involved in an underground market where human souls are traded.
''Aria: Summer's Spell'' (2002)
In this two issue mini-series, Kildare encounters a lost love,
True Thomas, in 1960s London.
''Aria: The Uses of Enchantment'' (2003)
In this four issue mini-series, Kildare investigates the Kingdom of Enchantment, an abandoned theme park from the 1950s, which contains a true hidden magical kingdom.
''Aria: Heavenly Creatures'' (2021)
This double-length one-shot is an almost panel-for-panel remake of 2000's ''Aria/Angela'', but replacing Angela with an as-yet-unnamed similar character. This is due to Image Comics having lost the rights to use the Angela character in a 2012 court decision.
Collected editions
The series has been collected into a number of
trade paperbacks
A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...
:
*''Volume 1: The Magic of Aria'' (collects ''Aria'', 140 pages, May 2002, )
*''Volume 2: The Soulmarket'' (collects ''The Soul Market'', 144 pages, March 2004, )
*''Volume 3: The Enchanted Collection'' (collects ''Summer's Spell'' and ''The Uses of Enchantment'', 144 pages, August 2004, )
References
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External links
Profiles of characters from Aria and other Avalon Studios titlesInterview with writer Brian Holguin
{{Image Comics
Avalon Studios
Image Comics titles