In some ways, this is the least daring of CrossGen's titles, most of which twist genre conventions or crossbreed pop culture icons. Sigil
merely takes conventional space opera adventure and supersizes it for an audience that craves more science fiction junk food. A centuries-long war between humans and reptilian Saurians is thrown into high gear when mysterious power-enhancing sigils are given to massive human warrior Sam Rey and his mortal enemy, the equally hulking Saurian Tchlusarud. The two are just beginning to learn what to do with their new powers. In this collection of six installments from the monthly comic, both characters are brought to the test. The Saurians challenge Sam by aiming a huge asteroid at the human home planet. First, he breaks the rock into pieces; then he saves his sweetheart, Zanni, who's been trapped on the planet. Finally, Sam copes with the damage the planet suffers from the unavoidable multiple impacts. Meanwhile, Tchlusarud is betrayed by his mother, the queen, and shipped off to prison before he breaks loose and leads an army of dinosaur-riding rebels against the throne. Fans who like big, well-drawn pictures of space hardware rushing into battle will love this work, as will readers who want to see crowds of unbelievably muscular and voluptuous bodies struggling with each other. (Readers prone to ask questions such as why female lizards need such big breasts might as well skip the entire book.) (Aug.)
