VERY FINE/NEAR MINT Written by BRYAN J.L. GLASS
Penciled by RYAN STEGMAN
The Castle Crydee has stood strong against a multitude of enemies over the years, and has kept its people safe. But now, a new enemy from another world threatens to destroy them, and Prince Arutha, Swordmaster Fannon and Squire Roland struggle to keep them at bay. Meanwhile, Pug, apprentice to the magician Kulgan, goes on an offensive with his master and a band of soldiers into the heart of the enemy camp. It’s a daring challenge…one that will ultimately prove fatal for one of them…and will change the course of the other’s life.
32 PGS. Date Available: 06/24/2009
BONUS REVIEW by GARY OWENS
This short series, based off of a concept by Feist in his novels (I’ve never read any), involves a Duke and his two sons who must fight a new and terrible foe. In this opening issue, the sons try to obtain intelligence about their relentless enemy, so they can combat them better. Initial impressions: exceedingly dense intro page, with overly involved character relation descriptions, some that were never carried over to the story itself (ex. Pug). Yet read it closely if you don’t know the novels; it helps. The story itself: devoid of bravado, balanced, suspenseful. In a word: refreshing. What struck me was how the writer obviously avoided the clichés in the genre, and in some superhero comics. The males seemed conflicted, fallible, good reads, the enemy silent, brutal. The lone, token female had nary a line, and stood pining for her lost love (I think). Not a big knock, however, since wars often concentrate on guys, not girls. The art delivered, too, with fine detail that avoided the war-is-hell atrocities (which takes the story somewhere else). Bottom line: practical fantasy read with an intriguing Stargate angle. I’ll buy more.
