Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Birthright #1
Image Comics
Williamson, Bressan & Lucas
This comic book is fantastic. It's a fast paced read that clocks in at thirty-pages for only three bucks. The comic book is unique but has a familiar enough setup to it that makes the book surprising but relatable. The artwork is also very good for this story, especially the fantastical elements of it. This is definitely one to seek out this week as it is sure to be a big hit.
The book moves through the first year in a matter of panels. A boy goes missing and within a year his father is blamed for his death, wife leaves him and becomes a drunk. However, a mountain of a man that looks like he walked out of a Conan story shows up and claims to the police to be the missing boy. The rest of the comic book frames up what has happened to the boy and sets up what is to come.
The book's tagline is that this is the Goonies-like adventure where the kids come home and deal with the fallout or consequences of their adventure. It works well because the warrior provides the tip of the iceberg in terms of what he's battled and what he's seen in the years since he's been missing. Naturally there are plenty of doubters because how can a little boy become a man within a single year. The comic explores some of this as well.
The joy of the book is that it reads like a childhood adventure but slightly darker. It involves missing children and many of the nasty bits that go along with it. However, this comic book updates it to adult level because it really is seen through the eyes of a parent.
The comic book has a detailed look to the artwork that is helpful because of all of the emotional scenes in the beginning of the book. There are plenty of arguments and drunken, angry rants and the artwork brings those to life. The other piece to the book is the far away land of mystics and ghouls and the art shows a wide range of imagination in this area as well. This is a very good artistic story.
Birthright starts off with a bang. The first issue is padded with plenty of story and it doesn't stop to let the reader catch their breath. The comic has a wide appeal to anyone that ever had an imagination as a child about far-off lands but it will also appeal to those that have children and perhaps this storyline digs into their deepest fears. There is no reason to skip this comic book. This is why people read comics.
5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
